WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (November 16, 2020) – Junior Jeffery Hernandez and senior Jose Benitez combined for 43 points as the Florida National men’s basketball team (1-3) fell to the Keiser Seahawks (1-2), 113-97, on Monday afternoon.
Hernandez scored a team-high 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor. The native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, also dished out seven assists in 36 minutes of action. This marked his third 20-point game of the season. Benitez added 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including two treys. The product of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, grabbed a team-high six boards versus the Seahawks.
Senior Kenneth Santos and sophomore Yamil Diaz poured in 15 points apiece. Santos shot 5-of-14 from the field, draining three from downtown. Diaz went 5-of-8 from the floor and made a team-best four shots from beyond the arc.
Sophomore Hirotaka Ohashi registered a game-high 12 assists to go along with nine points, four rebounds and three steals on the afternoon.
A rough first half proved to be the difference in the contest, as FNU shot 37.8 percent (14-of-37) in the first 20 minutes while KU made 52.6 percent of its attempts (20-of-38) to take a 54-39 lead into halftime.
For the game, the Conquistadors shot 48.0 percent from the floor (36-of-75) and made 12-of-34 shots from 3-point range. The Seahawks made 59.7 percent of their shots from the floor (43-of-72), including 12-of-25 from beyond the arc (48.0 percent).
KU held a 42-31 edge in rebounding while FNU had a 9-8 advantage on the offensive glass.
The Conquistadors will return to action on Thursday, November 19, traveling to Jacksonville, Florida, to take on Trinity Baptist. Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m.
