Charles Bethel Jr.

Women's Basketball 12/11/2020 2:10:00 PM J.T. Wilcox, Sports Information Director

Lady Lions Face Tough Test At No. 7 Southeastern Saturday

AT A GLANCE
FMU Lions (3-3, 3-2) at No. 7 Southeastern University Fire (4-2, 3-0)
When: Saturday, December 12, 2020
Where: Southeastern University, Lakeland, Fla. | The Furnace
Tip-off: 2 p.m.
Last Meeting: Feb. 1, 2020, Loss 54-81
Live Stream: Link
Live Stats: Link

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – It would be too easy and overly cliché to paint Florida Memorial University's women's basketball team's upcoming showdown against No. 7 Southeastern University as a typical "underdog vs. favorite" or "David vs. Goliath" matchup.

While the reality of the situation is that it won't be easy for the Lady Lions to come away with a victory when it travels to Lakeland, Florida to face the Fire Saturday afternoon in SEU's The Furnace, FMU should also go in with a mindset that focuses on what it is capable of doing opposed to what the opponent can.

Florida Memorial (3-3, 3-2 The Sun Conference) has shown itself to be a team capable of playing with just about anyone. The Lions' three losses this season have come by an average of just four points and were – for better or worse – in position to win each of those games down the stretch.

Even with what is basically a completely new roster, Lions head coach Gregory Stanback has already developed an attitude of perseverance and a tangible level of grit from his group through the first six games of the season. Those traits were on full display this past weekend when Florida Memorial cut a 21-point second-half deficit down to a single point multiple times in the fourth quarter before falling to Webber International University.

The Lions currently rank among the best in the Sun Conference in total offense – leading in total points per game and ranking No. 2 in free throw percentages. Junior guard Keaynna Tolbert leads FMU – and the conference – in scoring with 24.5 points a night and has scored at least 18 points all six games this season.

Tolbert's backcourt mate Jamari Tillman is seventh on the conference's scoring list at 15.3 points per game while also leading the team in three-pointers made.

In Southeastern, FMU will be taking on a program that has become the "big bad wolf" of the conference – earning the regular season conference title for the past five years straight and winning the conference tournament four out of the past five years.

The Fire (4-2, 3-0) currently sit atop the conference standings and is the third-highest scoring team while also being the No. 1 defensive squad in the Sun Conference.

FMU will have to combat against what is a decisive height advantage for the Fire Saturday. Among its main top eight rotational players, Southeastern's shortest player is 5-foot-8; its point guard is listed at 5-foot-9; and they employ three players measuring 6-feet or taller.

Look for the Lions to use a variety of defensive schemes to counteract the Fire's size and stymie their offensive production. FMU has done best when using one of its pressing defenses to speed up the tempo of the game, force the opposing team into turnovers and create more scoring opportunities – evident in FMU forcing opponents into nearly 28 turnovers per game and scoring an average of 25 points off those turnovers.

Follow Florida Memorial University Athletics on social media
Instagram: @GoFMULions/@FMUWBB | Twitter: @GoFMULions | YouTube: Official FMU Lions

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