LAKELAND, Fla. -- Top-seeded and No. 23-ranked Southeastern used an efficient offensive performance and a decisive third-quarter surge to defeat fourth-seeded St. Thomas, 84–63, Friday evening in the Sun Conference Women's Basketball Championship Semifinals at The Furnace. With the victory, the Fire improved to 26-3 overall and advanced to Saturday's championship game.
Southeastern controlled much of the night behind balanced scoring, strong rebounding, and defensive pressure that gradually wore down the Bobcats. After St. Thomas briefly grabbed the game's first lead, the Fire responded quickly and never trailed again, building momentum throughout the opening half.
The Fire established control early with an efficient first quarter, shooting 75 percent from the field while building a 20-13 advantage. Southeastern's defensive activity also set the tone, forcing turnovers that led to transition opportunities and easy baskets. Freshman
Sarah Davis provided an early spark off the bench, knocking down perimeter shots that helped stretch the lead.
St. Thomas trimmed the margin at times during the second quarter, but SEU answered each push. A late three-pointer from
Grace Field helped the Fire take a 42-31 lead into halftime, maintaining firm control despite solid bench production from the Bobcats. Southeastern shot better than 50 percent in the opening half while limiting St. Thomas to just 33 percent shooting.
The decisive stretch came immediately after the break. Southeastern delivered its strongest quarter of the night in the third, outscoring St. Thomas 26-16 while shooting nearly 69 percent from the floor during the period. Defensive pressure created transition chances, and the Fire steadily expanded the margin into double digits before pushing the lead beyond 20 late in the quarter.
Mya Herman played a key role in the run, scoring efficiently while creating turnovers that fueled Southeastern's fast-break attack. The Fire's depth also proved important, as multiple bench contributors added scoring while maintaining defensive intensity.
Grace Field led Southeastern with 18 points and a dominant presence on the glass, finishing with 13 rebounds to record a double-double performance. Herman matched Field with 18 points while shooting 7-for-11 from the field and adding five steals in an active two-way effort. Davis added 15 points off the bench, continuing her strong postseason play, while
Kristiana Kulackovska contributed 10 points.
As a team, Southeastern shot 56.1 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from three-point range while outrebounding St. Thomas 36-31 and forcing 17 turnovers. The Fire also controlled the paint, scoring 42 points inside compared to just 14 for the Bobcats.
The Fire will now turn their attention to Webber International, which advanced with an upset win over Keiser earlier in the evening. Saturday's championship presents an opportunity for SEU to cap an already strong season with a Sun Conference Tournament title and strengthen its postseason positioning heading toward the national tournament.
Tipoff for the Sun Conference Championship Game is scheduled for 6 p.m. at The Furnace.
