BABSON PARK, Fla. (January 4, 2018) – Freshman Tommie Luke scored a game-high 21 points and Johnathan Childs added the third double-double of his senior season, but it all came in a loss for the Webber International University men's basketball team as the Warriors fell to No. 18 Saint Thomas University, 84-75, on a chilly Thursday night inside the Sabbagh Athletic Center.

The Warriors never led in the game as they fell behind 9-2 early before tying the game at 13 after a layup by Sheldon Durant just under seven minutes into the action.

Then, with seven minutes left in the first half, a 3-pointer by Garrett Woodmansee tied the game up again at 24 points apiece before the Bobcats went on a 9-1 run to take an eight-point lead (33-25) with just under five minutes remaining in the period. A 3-pointer by Nikita Orap got the Warriors to within one at 37-36 with 1:44 left.

Webber trailed by six at the break (42-36) as Saint Thomas started the second half on an 8-3 run to take an 11-point lead at 50-39 two and a half minutes in. However, the Warriors came all the way back with a huge 12-1 run to tie the game again at 51 with 12 minutes left. Childs scored twice during the run, including once on a big dunk off a nice alley-oop pass from Luke, while Orap and Woodmanssee both provided 3-point makes.

The Warriors proceeded to stay within two scores of the Bobcats until with 8:20 left to play, Saint Thomas went ahead by seven at 64-57 and never looked back. After a Bobcat 3-pointer made it a nine-point game at 67-58 with seven minutes left, Webber never got closer than seven the rest of the way, doing so a couple of times toward the end of the game with two free throws by Luke with 2:29 on the clock to make it 76-69, and then doing so again on a fast break layup by Luke to make it 78-71 with only 1:48 remaining.

Webber finished the game with good shooting percentages from the field (48.4 percent) and from three (50 percent), but was only 50 percent from the free throw line with seven makes compared to 70 percent shooting from the line with 14 makes for Saint Thomas.

Head Coach Allen Corbin spoke after the game, "Our guys played with tremendous effort and followed the game plan very well. If we make some shots and free throws that we usually make, it is a different ball game."

Statistically for Webber, Childs would finish with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Orap added 11 points on three 3-pointers. In addition to his 21 points, Luke also dished five assists, the same number of assists by his old high school teammate and fellow freshman, Austin Evans. The assists were a career-high for both players. Lastly, making his first appearance since the Warriors' second game of the season (Nov. 17, 2017 vs. University of the Virgin Islands), Durant finished with eight points while adding two steals.

With the loss, Webber falls to 5-7 overall and 2-4 in The Sun Conference, but remains only one game back of a tie for fifth place in the conference standings. Saint Thomas, meanwhile, saw its record rise to 11-5 and 5-1 as it remained tied for the conference lead with No. 7 Southeastern University.

Webber will return to action on Saturday, January 6, to battle Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, Florida, at 4 p.m. It will be the first road contest for the Warriors since December 9, 2017 at the College of Coastal Georgia.