WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Southeastern closed its run at the 2026 Sun Conference Men's Basketball Championship on Friday afternoon, falling to No. 10-ranked Ave Maria, 91-84, in semifinal action at the Student Life Center in West Palm Beach. The Fire, the tournament's No. 3 seed, battled throughout against the No. 2-seeded Gyrenes.
Southeastern finishes the conference tournament with a 24-6 overall record and now awaits its postseason fate when the NAIA reveals the national tournament field on Thursday, March 5 at 6 p.m. CT, streamed live on YouTube.
The semifinal matchup featured two of the Sun Conference's top teams trading momentum early. Southeastern settled in quickly behind efficient perimeter shooting, using early three-pointers from
Anthony Kangah and
Nathan Mikkelson to keep pace with an Ave Maria squad that entered the contest nationally ranked.
The Fire briefly grabbed the lead midway through the opening half and continued to answer each Gyrene run.
Daivion Traylor provided key interior minutes while
Mylo Santos helped stabilize the offense at the free-throw line. Southeastern shot over 46 percent from the field in the first half and went a perfect 8-for-8 at the line, trailing just 41-38 at the break.
Ave Maria created separation early in the second half, using an efficient stretch offensively to build its largest lead of the game. The Gyrenes shot better than 64 percent in the second period and controlled the paint, eventually pushing the advantage to double digits midway through the half.
Despite the deficit, Southeastern continued to respond. Kangah led the Fire with 25 points, knocking down four three-pointers and converting all seven of his free-throw attempts. Mikkelson added 23 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Santos contributed 18 points and went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Freshman
LaDavian King added 11 points off the bench as SEU mounted multiple late pushes.
The Fire trimmed the margin to single digits several times in the final minutes, including a late run that cut the deficit to five with under a minute remaining. However, Ave Maria converted key free throws down the stretch to secure the semifinal victory.
Southeastern finished the game shooting 45.5 percent from the field and nearly 89 percent at the free-throw line while matching the Gyrenes' intensity throughout a competitive postseason contest.
