McKENZIE, Tenn. – UT Southern men's basketball capped off its weekend at the Chick-fil-A Classic in style, cruising to a 90–53 win over Southeastern Baptist College on Saturday evening at Crisp Arena. The Firehawks controlled the game from start to finish, riding a balanced scoring effort and stifling defense to improve to 3–1 on the season.
UT Southern wasted no time setting the tone — Daniel Reyes opened the scoring with a layup, and Mike Bell, Jr. followed with a driving finish to make it 4–1 early. After a quick response from Southeastern Baptist, Antonio Cochran connected from deep to push the lead to 9–5. From there, the Firehawks took over defensively, forcing five turnovers in the next four minutes.
Kiah Key's steal led to a fast-break dunk by Cochran, and Luke Lentz drilled consecutive threes to stretch the margin to 20–7 midway through the first half. Ryan Dunn joined the barrage with two triples of his own, while Lentz stayed hot from beyond the arc — hitting four threes in the opening half. By the time the buzzer sounded, the Firehawks had exploded for 46 first-half points, holding Southeastern Baptist to just 17.
UT Southern continued its dominance after the break. Bell Jr. scored on back-to-back drives to open the half, and Cochran hit a pull-up jumper before converting two free throws to make it 54–24. Jack Harper provided a spark off the bench, knocking down three triples and finishing with 11 points, while Dunn added another long-range shot and several assists to keep the offense clicking.
Bell Jr. led the Firehawks with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, adding three rebounds. Lentz matched his tournament-best performance with 17 points, hitting 4-of-9 from three-point range. Cochran tallied 12 points, six rebounds, and two assists, while Dunn scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from deep. Baldwin added seven rebounds and two steals, and Harper finished with 11 points off the bench.
As a team, UT Southern shot 46.4% from the floor and 37.8% from three-point range, while limiting Southeastern Baptist to just 27.6% shooting. The Firehawks outrebounded their opponent 37–22 and forced 15 turnovers that led to 23 points. UTS' bench outscored Southeastern Baptist's reserves 58–8.
Team Stats by Half
| Team |
1st Half FG% |
2nd Half FG% |
1st Half Points |
2nd Half Points |
Final |
| Southeastern Baptist |
24.0% |
30.3% |
17 |
36 |
53 |
| UT Southern |
45.9% |
46.9% |
46 |
44 |
90 |
| Category |
Southeastern Baptist |
UT Southern |
| Field Goals |
16-58 (27.6%) |
32-69 (46.4%) |
| 3-Point FG |
5-20 (25.0%) |
14-37 (37.8%) |
| Free Throws |
16-22 (72.7%) |
12-15 (80.0%) |
| Rebounds |
22 |
37 |
| Assists |
7 |
19 |
| Turnovers |
15 |
13 |
| Points off Turnovers |
13 |
23 |
| Points in the Paint |
14 |
32 |
| Bench Points |
8 |
58 |
UT Southern (3–1) will return home to Pulaski on Tuesday, November 11, when the Firehawks host Welch College at the Curry Athletic Complex. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
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