LAKELAND, Fla.—Southeastern utilized key stops and efficient shooting to defeat the Johnson & Wales Wildcats by a score of 73-64 Thursday night. With the victory, the Fire moved to 6-1 on the year, remaining perfect in league play (3-0).
After JWU started the game on a 9-5 run in the first five minutes thanks to hot shooting from beyond the arc, SEU answered with a 21-4 stretch over the next seven minutes of play. During the initial half, Southeastern held the Wildcats to only 29.0% shooting (9-31) and the least amount of points the Fire have given up in any half this season (26).
The Fire, who outscored the Wildcats 12-0 in the paint in the first half, and 30-10 in the game, muscled their way to a 38-26 halftime lead.
“Our philosophy right now is to ground and pound and get more layups, dunks and points in the paint than the other team. If we continue to do that, I think we’ll be okay,” remarked Head Coach R-Jay Barsh.
Ismael Celestin led all scorers with 11 first-half points and shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
Early turnovers in the second half allowed the Wildcats to creep close, as Johnson & Wales cut the 12-point advantage to two with 15:13 left in the competition; however, the Fire answered once again, holding JWU to just two points over the next five minutes.
Josiah Barsh and Dylan Causwell each helped the Fire close out the game with double-digit efforts in the second half. Barsh scored 14 of his 22 in the final period, while Causwell added all ten of his points in the second 20 minutes. Causwell also ended the night with ten rebounds, notching his second double-double of the year as SEU established a comfortable margin of victory late in the game.
Coach Barsh added, “Dylan [Causwell] really found his rhythm and got some clean touches in the second half. He found ways to score, stayed active and got to the rim, which helped him play with confidence tonight.”
Effective defense down the stretch enabled the Fire, who grabbed 39 rebounds to the Wildcats mere 24 boards, to claim the 73-64 win. Celestin finished the competition with 15 points (7-8 FG) and Taylor Breck contributed with ten on 4-6 shooting.
“When we were able to rebound and get out and run in the second half, it really helped us. In league play, you have to find a way to win and we did just that,” remarked Coach Barsh.
Southeastern will now travel to West Palm Beach to take on Keiser in another conference showdown. Tip-off is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m.