LAKELAND, Fla. — Southeastern Women's Basketball capped another championship season Saturday night, defeating sixth-seeded Webber International 64–58 inside The Furnace to claim the 2026 Sun Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Championship and secure the program's seventh tournament title.
With the victory, the top-seeded Fire completed a sweep of both the Sun Conference regular season and tournament championships for the seventh time in program history, continuing a year-long run of conference dominance.
Southeastern (27-3) appeared in control early. The Fire opened the game with strong defensive energy and efficient offense, building a 14-5 advantage midway through the first quarter behind balanced scoring and early perimeter success.
However, momentum quickly shifted.
After that fast start, Webber International responded with an extended run, outscoring Southeastern 18-2 over the next 5:31 to take a 21-16 lead early in the second quarter. The Warriors capitalized on turnovers and second opportunities while slowing Southeastern's offensive rhythm, forcing the Fire into a difficult stretch on the offensive end.
Webber continued to control play into halftime, carrying a 33-24 advantage into the break after limiting Southeastern to just eight second-quarter points.
The challenge grew even larger moments into the second half.
A Warriors basket just 30 seconds into the third quarter pushed the deficit to 12, Southeastern's largest of the night, before the Fire began their response. From that point forward, Southeastern gradually regained control through defensive pressure and improved execution.
Mya Herman sparked the comeback with timely scoring, while freshman
Sarah Davis provided critical minutes off the bench, attacking the glass and creating second-chance opportunities. Southeastern found consistency at the free-throw line during the third quarter, converting all eight attempts while steadily trimming the margin.
The Fire outscored Webber International 21-16 in the period to pull within four entering the fourth quarter and fully shift the momentum inside The Furnace.
The championship was decided in the final six minutes.
Herman connected on a jumper to tie the game at 53-53. Shortly after,
Kristiana Kulackovska knocked down two free throws to give Southeastern its first lead since the opening quarter.
From there, Southeastern's defense delivered the finishing stretch that defined the postseason run. The Fire forced multiple turnovers, controlled rebounds on both ends, and limited Webber to just nine fourth-quarter points.
Davis delivered one of the decisive moments of the game with a three-pointer with 1:28 remaining, extending the lead to six and giving Southeastern the separation it needed. The Fire then closed the game at the free-throw line to secure the title.
Grace Field led Southeastern with 18 points and a dominant 15-rebound effort while adding five steals, earning Sun Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player honors following the victory. Herman added 14 points, and Davis finished with 13 points and eight rebounds in a key bench performance.
SEU finished with a 41-33 rebounding advantage and scored 15 second-chance points, while the Fire bench contributed 20 points in the championship win.
Webber was led by Jaiden Ross with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Camryn Patterson added 11 points.
With the Sun Conference's automatic berth secured, Southeastern will now await its national postseason destination. The Fire will learn their placement in the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship when the 64-team field is announced during the NAIA Selection Show on March 5 at 7 p.m. CT on YouTube.
