LAKELAND, Fla. – Ave Maria made a run, then another, but each time the Fire had an answer. Derek Murphy's 3-pointer with 14 seconds left helped Southeastern University seal its upset, 99-95, win over No. 24 Ave Maria University in men's basketball Wednesday night action at The Furnace.
Murphy and Ahmad Johnson powered in 13 first-half points apiece as the Fire enjoyed a big 59-40 halftime lead. The ranked Gyrenes chipped away at the deficit the entire second half, but the Fire punched back each time. With 2:32 left, Ave Maria ran off 10-straight points and made it a one-possession game, 94-92, until Murphy dropped his fourth triple of the night and then Johnson added a pair of free throws with seven seconds to seal the win.
With the win, SEU (9-11/5-3 Sun Conference) registered its second victory in four contests against ranked opponents. It was the Fire's fifth win in a row over the Gyrenes (15-5/6-2 Sun Conference) in Lakeland.
Ave Maria came in as the NAIA's top-ranked team in scoring, but the Fire matched the Gyrenes with offense of their own. Each team scored over 55 points in a half with SEU having 59 in the first half and Ave Maria answering with 55 in the latter 20 minutes.
"I thought our first half was really good defensively," noted SEU head coach Hudson Welty. "We knew they were going to make a run, and we were able to make just enough stops to pull it out in the end."
Both teams had solid shooting nights as each squad hit over 52% of their attempts. SEU connected on 39-of-67 field goals (58.2%) and over half its 3-point tries (15-of-29).
Behind their 13 first-half points apiece, Johnson and Murphy combined for 38 points and six treys. Johnson made 8-of-13 field goals, with two triples for a team-high 20 points to go with five rebounds and three assists. Murphy was right behind with 18 points, including four treys, three rebounds and three assists.
The home player of the second half was Diego Platas, who tallied 11 points in the half, and recorded his season-high of 16 points. He made six of his seven shots with four coming from long-range. Platas also pulled in four rebounds and blocked a shot.
"Diego hit some big time shots tonight, he rebounded, he guarded, as that's who he is," stressed Welty. "It's good to see him playing with confidence, because he really helps us on both ends of the floor."
Amir Brikat registered a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds to go with three blocks, two steals and a pair of assists.
Kyonte Thomas scored in double figures off the bench with 11 points, five rebounds and two assists. Both Joshua Blazquez, who also handed out three assists, and Nathan Mikkelson added eight points. Nelson Reynolds drained two 3-pointers for six points to round out the home scoring.
Michael Klekas dumped in 21 points for the Gyrenes.
The Fire return to action on Saturday against another ranked team, No. 22 Florida Memorial. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m..
