WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. -- SEU Women's Basketball continued its perfect start to the season with a dominant 85-38 win over Defiance College Friday afternoon at the Cumberlands Classic. The victory improved the Fire to 4-0 overall as they closed out their road trip with another wire-to-wire performance built on efficiency, defense, and depth.
The Fire wasted no time setting the tone, scoring on their first three possessions and racing out to a 12-0 lead before Defiance could find any rhythm. Back-to-back threes from
Alley Haas and another from
Mya Herman ignited the early run as Southeastern's quick tempo and unselfish offense consistently produced clean looks. On the defensive end, the Fire swarmed the ball, forced eight turnovers in the first quarter, and held the Yellow Jackets to just three made field goals. SEU's balance and precision led to a 25-9 advantage after 10 minutes of play.
Momentum carried into the second quarter, where Southeastern outscored Defiance 20-5 while continuing to create havoc defensively. The Fire held Defiance without a field goal for nearly four minutes and assisted on 12-of-17 first-half makes to build a commanding 45-14 lead at the break. Every rotation player contributed during the stretch as SEU dominated both the glass and transition play, controlling the pace from start to finish.
SEU maintained that same focus in the second half, finishing the day shooting 47.8 percent from the floor and 54.5 percent from three-point range (12-for-22). The Fire assisted on 23 of their 32 field goals, converted 20 turnovers into 15 points, and outscored Defiance 34-12 in the paint. SEU's defensive effort never let up, holding the Yellow Jackets to 23.6 percent shooting overall and just 3-for-25 from long range. The Fire's lead swelled to as many as 51 points in the closing minutes, punctuating a complete team performance.
Mya Herman led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Kristiana Kulackovska recorded her second double-double of the season with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and two steals. Haas added 13 points on four threes, while
Grace Field tallied 11 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
Ellah Kissell contributed nine points and four boards off the bench, and
Mafalda Chambel directed the offense with seven assists and six rebounds.
The Fire will return home to The Furnace on Tuesday, November 11, to take on Fort Lauderdale at 6:30 p.m. as they look to extend their unbeaten start.
