BABSON PARK, Fla. (January 10, 2019) – Looking to move up The Sun Conference standings in an effort to earn a potential postseason berth, the Webber International University men's basketball team came up short against a team who began the day one game ahead of Webber. In the end, the Warriors fell to the Seahawks of Keiser University 80-73 on Thursday night inside the Sabbagh Athletic Center.

After Webber led by as much eight in the first half at 20-12 after a dunk by Tommie Luke nine and half minutes into the game, Keiser began to put some shots together and closed the final 10 minutes of the half on a 20-8 run to lead by four at halftime (32-28).

Then, despite shooting a strong 51.5 percent from the field overall with four made 3-pointers in the second half, the Warriors were still outscored in the period as the Seahawks sank five three's and shot 15-of-17 (88.2 percent) from the free throw line.

Webber trailed for most of the second half, but never trailed by more than nine points as the competitive game ultimately came down to the final two minutes.

The Warriors trailed 69-65 with 1:38 left after a free throw by Malik Morrow, and then a three by Rasheem Etienne made it 73-68 with only 45 seconds left. Next was a highlight reel tip dunk by Austin Evans, arguably one of the best dunks from the Warriors all season so far, to make it 75-70 with 27 seconds to go, and then Webber's final bucket came via a smooth transition three by Garrett Woodmansee to make it only a four-point game at 77-73 with 20 seconds on the clock.

However, Keiser finished a strong 8-of-9 from the free throw line over the final minute to never really give Webber a chance.

In all, Keiser finished with nine 3-pointers and a 17-of-19 mark (89.5 percent) on free throws compared to a less than 50 percent effort from the line (11-24) for Webber. The Warriors were also outscored 24-16 in second chance points.

"I am very proud of our overall effort tonight," said Head Coach Allen Corbin. "Our big men stepped up and battled like crazy. We executed the game plan well. We must take advantage of opportunities at the foul line. We will get after it tomorrow and hopefully play better Saturday."

Making his return to the lineup was Luke, who scored 26 points on 11-of-19 shooting. Luke, who also finished with a team-high seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks, stormed out of the gates and accounted for 13 of Webber's first 20 points of the game when it led by eight 10 minutes in.

It was Luke's fifth straight game with 20 or more points after putting together a streak of eight straight such games earlier in the season.

Webber's other two players in double figures in scoring were Etienne with 13 points on three 3-pointers and 5-of-7 shooting overall, and Evans with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting with six rebounds.

Evans, a former high school teammate of Luke's, recorded what was his 12th consecutive game in double-digit scoring.

Webber fell to 10-9 overall and 2-6 in The Sun Conference, and came up short on a chance to pull into a tie for sixth place in the league standings. The Warriors are now two games behind the three teams that are tied for the final two postseason spots in the conference. Keiser (8-10 overall), meanwhile, earned its third straight conference to win to get to .500 in the league at 4-4.

Next up for Webber is a meeting with a team that has yet to earn a win on the season, Johnson & Wales University, at 4 p.m. on Saturday, January 12, in North Miami, Florida.