MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.— The No. 20 Southeastern men’s basketball team clinched a bye in the first round of the Sun Conference Tournament thanks to a 77-59 victory over St. Thomas University Saturday night. With the win, SEU secured its second straight 20-win season, ending the regular season with a 20-8 (13-5 TSC) record.
The Fire jumped out to an early double-digit advantage thanks to five points each from Taylor Breck and Josiah Barsh. After just 8:40 of action, Southeastern was up 19-8.
SEU knocked down nine of its first 18 shots in the opening period, including a pair of buckets from Ismael Celestin as the team commanded the initial ten minutes of the contest.
The Fire were efficient with their shot selection in the first half, shooting 41.7% from the field on just 24 attempts compared to STU’s 35.3% on 34 shots.
Despite the effective shooting, the Bobcats closed in on the Fire, who only led 35-32 at the break.
The teams traded runs in the first ten minutes of the second half, but Southeastern took control of the competition midway through the later period.
After having their advantage cut to a single point (46-45) with 12:41 to go, the Fire responded with an insurmountable stretch.
Eight points from Quennel Francis within the next 2:23 opened up a nine-point lead and gave the senior 20 on the night.
Celestin then added 11 of his 15 points, while Barsh scored four more as the Fire used a 31-14 stretch to close out the game.
Barsh, Breck and Francis, who all hit threes during the key stretch, each ended the night with multiple three-pointers made. The trio combined for seven of the squad’s eight makes from downtown, which was the difference in the matchup.
Southeastern shot an astounding 50.0% (8-16) from behind the arc, making five of nine attempts in the second half to cruise to the 18-point triumph.
Barsh finished with 15 points, while Breck contributed with 13.
The Fire will be back in action during the semifinal round of the Sun Conference Tournament at Warner on Friday.
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