LAKELAND, Fla. – Southeastern University enjoyed a first-half advantage, but No. 21 Keiser University rallied in the second half and held on late for a 76-71 win in Sun Conference men's basketball action on Wednesday night at The Furnace.
SEU went on a 9-2 run midway through the first half and took its largest lead, 21-13, on a Kyonte Thomas trey at 7:53. Keiser chipped away and eventually the two teams played to a 34-34 deadlock at halftime.
Derek Murphy edged the Fire ahead, 43-42, before his team went cold and the Seahawks ran off the following 12 points for a 54-43 lead with 12:10 left in the second half. Keiser held SEU off and did not let the home team get closer than five points over the final six minutes.
SEU forced 20 Keiser turnovers and only turned it over 10 times, but the No. 21 Seahawks shot 51.6% (32-of-62) and outrebounded the Fire by a 46-33 margin.
Amir Brikat, who made the first Fire bucked in each half, connected on 6-of-9 from the floor for a team-high 15 points to go with six rebounds, four steals, and an assist. Ahmad Johnson was the other double-digit starter with 11 points, including a pair of treys, while adding three assists, three steals, and a pair of boards.
Off the bench, Thomas went 5-for-9 for an even dozen. He added five assists, a pair of steals, and two rebounds.
Nathan Mikkelson drained two treys as part of his eight-point and six-rebound effort. Joshua Blazquez contributed seven points and four assists, and Diego Platas had five points, three rebounds, and two steals. Nelson Reynolds dropped a pair of triples off the bench for six points, while Ja'Quay Randolph scored five points and pulled down three rebounds.
Keiser (13-2/4-0 SUN) got a game-high 24 points and four assists from Calvin Sirmans.
With the loss, The Fire drop to 7-9 (3-2 SUN). They return to action on Saturday afternoon when they face New College of Florida. Tip-off is at 4 p.m..
