LAKELAND, Fla. (October 28, 2020) – The Florida National women’s basketball team (1-1) came into to Tuesday, looking to upset the No. 7-ranked team in the nation. That upset bid fell short as the Conquistadors lost to the Southeastern Fire (1-0), 96-51, from the Furnace in Lakeland, Florida.
Thirteen turnovers in the first half put FNU in an early hole, 42-24 after two quarters. Senior Adria Stewart scored 11 of her 15 total points in the first half to go along with five points and six rebounds for freshman Delores Charlton through 20 minutes of action. However, SEU maintained an 18-point lead, heading into the break.
FNU came out of intermission looking to cut into the Fire lead. The Conquistadors shot a blistering 72.7 percent from the floor (8-of-11) in the third quarter, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Southeastern had a hot third quarter of its own, shooting 10-of-16 from the field, netting 27 points, and moving its advantage to 69-45. Senior Deandra Akins led FNU in the third stanza, scoring eight points on 3-of-3 shooting from the floor.
SEU put the game away in the fourth, outscoring Florida National, 27-6.
Stewart led all Conquistadors with 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting while Akins added 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor. Charlton ended the night leading FNU in rebounding with seven boards.
A big factor in the game was the points off turnovers. SEU forced 26 Conquistador turnovers resulting in 29 points for the Fire.
FNU finished the night shooting 36.5 percent from the floor (19-of-520 and hit 7-of-18 shots from 3-point range (36.5 percent). The Fire made 48.0 percent of its shots from the floor (36-of-75) and were 10-of-36 from beyond the arc (27.8 percent). SEU held a 42-37 edge in rebounding and scored 50 points in the paint (18 points in the paint for FNU).
The Conquistadors will return to action on Tuesday, November 3, traveling to Babson Park, Florida, to take on Webber International. Game time is set for 5:00 p.m.
About FNU: Florida National University opened its first class on January 4th, 1988, in the city of Hialeah, Florida, as Florida International Institute under the administration of Dr. José Regueiro, Dr. María C. Regueiro, and Mr. Omar Sánchez. FNU Athletic Department has more than 250 student-athletes in 11 different sports. Established in 2013, FNU Athletics is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).
The mission of the Florida National University Athletic Department is to provide assistance within an athletic structure that promotes the development of a well-rounded education through structured sport and competition, to develop life skills of discipline, integrity, leadership, philanthropy and social responsibility, to elevate ethnic and cultural diversity within the athletic programs, to assure equitable opportunity for all staff and student-athletes, and to make the athletic program a durable source of pride for the student population, student-athletes, alumni, university, and community of FNU.
