LAKELAND, Fla.—Southeastern had to overcome a slow start to the second half in The Sun Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Semifinal against Webber International and did so in a big way over the final minutes.
The Fire outscored Webber 25-14 over the final nine minutes to come away with a 68-61 win and advance to tomorrow's championship game against St. Thomas.
Neither team led by more than two possessions at any point during the first half with the Fire leading 12-8 at the 13:54 mark and the Warriors leading 28-23 at the 2:44 mark of the half.
A 7-2 run to end the half by the Fire tied the game at 30. The game was practically even across the board with the teams shooting within a tenth of a percent in their field goal percentages and both teams were successful on four 3-pointers in the half.
The Fire spent the first six minutes of the second half settling for the outside shot, going just 1-of-7 from long range, but the Warriors failed to pull ahead by more than three.
Conference Player of the Year
Riley Minix had his touches limited due to tight defense and immediate double teams on any catch and was 0-of-2 from the field with eight rebounds and his only points in the first coming on a pair of free throws. His first field goal didn't drop until the 12:44 mark of the second half to get his team within one at 42-41.
Minix finished with 15 points, going 11-of-12 at the free throw line with 17 rebounds and three blocks.
A 3-pointer by Eddie Davis with 11:21 to play gave Webber its first two-possession lead of the second half at 45-41.
Reggie Mesidor made 3-pointers at the 8:47 mark and 7:15 mark of the half to put the Fire up 49-47 for a 6-0 run. It built to a 12-2 run over a span of 5:00 to give the Fire a six-point lead with just under 5:00 to play.
Mesidor connected on a 3-pointer with 3:05 left in the game to give the Fire a seven-point lead at 60-53. He finished with 14 points off the bench.
The Fire went 6-of-8 at the free throw line in the final 40 seconds of the game to keep the Warriors at bay.
"We just stuck together," said coach
Randy Lee. "I think it was critical that we got to the free throw line and stopped settling for 3-pointers. Defensively, we got some stops and made some transition baskets."
Sean Shore led the Fire in scoring with 16 points and added seven rebounds.
"Sean has a big heart and does a lot on the defensive side and played well off the doubles and triples," said Lee.
Joshua Blazquez added 13 points.
The Fire went 1-1 this season against St. Thomas with each team winning at home.
"They shot the 3-pointer really well today so we'll have to defend that along with their talented bigs," said Lee. "It's going to have to be a team effort and we'll have to bounce back really quick."
