MONTGOMERY, Ala.- For the second time in two days, Southeastern men's basketball found themselves trailing by seven after the first half.
For the second time in two days, Southeastern men's basketball completed upset victories.
Tonight's upset came over the third-seeded and host team Faulkner University as the Fire secured a spot in the NAIA Round of 16 with a 65-61 victory over the Eagles.
The Fire were outscored 35-28 in the first half after cold shooting from three-point range that saw just four of 16 distance shots converted (25%).
Riley Minix opened the contest with a three-point shot off a
Joshua Blazquez assists but three consecutive extra-point buckets and a good jumper by the Eagles put the Fire behind 11-5. Minix then brought the contest back within one with his second and third three-point shots of the night but a 9-2 run over a 4:15 time span gave the Eagles a 21-15 cushion with 7:41 remaining.
Good layups by
Sean Shore, Minix, and Blazquez again tied the contest, this time at 21 with 5:40 on the clock. The Eagles then strung together three made jumpers but a three-point shot by Shore and 2-2 effort at the line by Blazquez gave the Fire a 26-25 lead with under four minutes before the half. The Eagles managed a 10-2 run in the final minutes of the first half to take a 35-28 lead into the locker room.
Southeastern defense turned up the pressure in the second half, holding the Eagles to just 20% from the field and outscoring them 22-4 through the first 16 minutes of the final period.
The Eagles would not go quietly as they put together a 9-2 run behind a 5-5 effort at the line to bring the score to 59-56 with just 1:11 left in regulation.
Reggie Mesidor added one to the cushion with a made free throw shot but a three-point bucket by the Eagles with just 14 seconds on the clock brought the contest within one.
With 12 seconds on the clock, Minix drove to the basket for an and-one, draining the free throw shot to make it a two-possession game. A made layup by the Eagles with six seconds left brought the Fire lead to 63-61 but Minix secured the Fire's spot in Kansas City after going 2-2 at the line and concluding the 65-61 upset.
Southeastern shot 56.5% from the field in the second half and held the Eagles to just 28% to punch their ticket.
Minix ended the contest with 20 points, 15 rebounds, eight blocks, and three steals and became the first player in program history to record 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds with his first made basket of the contest.
Mesidor tallied 13 points while Blazquez recorded eight points and seven assists.
Jalan Mull was also instrumental in the second half defensive effort, recording two blocks and two steals.
The eleventh-seeded Fire will now head to Kansas City, Missouri for the NAIA Round of 16 from March 13
th to the 18
th where they will face Ottawa (Ariz.) in their first contest.
