LAKELAND, Fla. -- Southeastern Men's Basketball delivered a strong all-around performance Saturday night, pulling away from Webber International for an 86–68 Sun Conference victory inside The Furnace. The win pushed the Fire to 19–4 overall and 8–3 in conference play.
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The Fire set the tone early with efficient offense and steady defense, building a 42–26 halftime lead. Southeastern shot nearly 47 percent from the floor in the opening half and knocked down nine of 10 free throws, allowing them to create separation despite a modest night from beyond the arc early on.
Mylo Santos was a key catalyst in the first 20 minutes, pouring in 15 of his game-high 24 points before the break while attacking the paint and getting to the foul line.
Webber briefly looked to make things interesting in the second half, trimming the margin in the opening minutes, but Southeastern answered with timely shooting and depth. A series of threes from
Jayson Nixon helped the Fire reestablish control. Nixon finished with 23 points and went 5-for-9 from three-point range, including a pair of late triples that stretched the lead beyond 20 and effectively put the game out of reach.
Daivion Traylor provided a major interior presence, recording 13 points and seven rebounds while consistently converting at the line.
Nathan Mikkelson anchored the glass with a game-high 10 rebounds as Southeastern won the rebounding battle 42–31. The Fire also turned second-chance opportunities into points, scoring 21 second-chance points compared to seven for Webber.
Southeastern's bench added 17 points and the team finished the night shooting 47.5 percent overall and 87 percent from the free-throw line, a mark that proved critical in maintaining momentum. Defensively, the Fire limited Webber to 39.7 percent shooting and just 18.2 percent from three-point range.
Thomas Morgan led Webber with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Landon Tillman added 15, but the Warriors were unable to string together enough stops to threaten down the stretch.
Southeastern now turns its attention to its next Sun Conference matchup on Wednesday, February 4, when the Fire travel to Miami Gardens, Fla., for a 7:30 p.m. showdown at St. Thomas.
