LAKELAND, Fla. – The Fire saw its first-half lead slip away in the final 10 minutes, as St. Thomas University chipped away and took control for an 82-71 Sun Conference men's basketball win tonight at The Furnace.
SEU ran off nine points in a row and opened a 13-point lead with just under six minutes left in the first half, 30-17, and saw the margin grow to as many as 16 points. After two home buckets started the second stanza, St. Thomas started to chip away at the 16-point margin until tying the game with 9:53 left. The visitors added another 9-0 surge for its first second-half lead, 68-61, and didn't let up in the last five minutes of action.
With the loss, SEU drops to 11-13 (7-5 SUN) but stays two-games ahead of St. Thomas (9-12/5-7 SUN) in the Sun Conference. The Bobcats, though, evened the season series at a game apiece as the Fire won on the road on November 23, 91-66.
After shooting at a 16-of-31 clip in the opening half, the Fire went cold in the second half, shooting just 11-for-36. In contrast, St. Thomas shot 58.6% (17-of-29) in the game-deciding second half.
The SEU backcourt of Joshua Blazquez and Derek Murphy paced the attack again with a combined 38 points. Blazquez made 9-of-21 attempts for 21 points to go with three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Murphy drained a trio of triples as part of his 17-point effort, adding seven boards.
Kyonte Thomas was the third starter in double figures with 12 points and three assists. Diego Platas chipped in six points, five caroms, three steals, and two assists. Amir Brikat pulled in seven rebounds, blocked three shots, scored two points, and added two assists.
Nathan Mikkelson hauled down eight rebounds and totaled five points. Nelson Reynolds hit two treys for six points, while Matthew Lentz had two free throws and two rebounds.
The Bobcats were led by Cearius Warren's 19 points but had four other players in double figures.
SEU looks to bounce back on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Keiser University for a 4 p.m. tip-off.
