LAKELAND, Fla. -- SEU Men's Basketball turned in a resilient performance Saturday afternoon, earning an 80–68 victory over Florida College inside The Furnace to improve to 17–2 on the season.
The game was competitive from the opening tip, featuring eight lead changes and five ties in the first half as both teams traded momentum. Florida College found an early rhythm offensively and briefly built a double-digit advantage midway through the period, marking the second time this season Southeastern has overcome a deficit of 10 or more points. The Fire last rallied from a double-digit hole on November 15 at Florida Memorial, and once again responded with composure rather than urgency.
SEU settled in behind improved defensive discipline and balanced scoring, slowly chipping away at the margin. The Fire closed the half on a strong stretch to take a 35–32 lead into the locker room, setting the stage for a more assertive second half.
Coming out of the break, Southeastern controlled the flow of the game. The Fire shot over 50 percent from the field in the second half and steadily extended the lead by pairing efficient offense with timely stops. Defensively, SEU limited Florida College to 39.4 percent shooting overall and just 29.4 percent from three-point range, forcing contested looks and preventing sustained runs.
Southeastern also found success from the perimeter, finishing with 10 made three-pointers. The performance snapped a seven-game stretch without reaching double figures from beyond the arc, with the last such outing coming at Florida College on December 11. The outside shooting provided spacing offensively, opened driving lanes, and helped the Fire dictate tempo over the final ten minutes.
Mylo Santos led all scorers with 25 points, delivering consistent offense throughout the afternoon.
Nathan Mikkelson recorded his sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds while anchoring the paint on both ends of the floor.
Daivion Traylor added nine points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double, and
Anthony Kangah chipped in nine points as Southeastern leaned on its depth.
Florida College was paced by Malik Beauford's 23 points and Aiden Wall's 22, but Southeastern's rebounding advantage, perimeter defense, and late-game execution proved decisive.
SEU returns to conference play on Wednesday, traveling to Ave Maria, Florida, for a road matchup against No. 5 Ave Maria. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
