BABSON PARK, Fla. (December 20, 2019) – For the second year in a row, the Webber International University men's basketball team earned a sweep at the Webber Christmas Shootout as the Warriors gutted out a close win over Taylor University, 77-74, in a game that featured eight combined dunks on Friday evening inside the Sabbagh Athletic Center.

It was the fourth win in a row and was the sixth win in seven regular-season games for Webber as the Warriors improved to 8-7 overall on the season and will head into the New Year above .500 for the first time all season. Taylor, meanwhile, fell to 8-7 overall with losses both against Southeastern University and the Warriors during their current trip to Florida.

With the game tied at 62-62 with just under five minutes left to play, Javonni Quince scored on a layup assisted by Rasheem Etienne to spark an 8-0 Warrior run that also featured a layup by Etienne and back-to-back scores by Corey Corbin to make it a 70-62 Webber lead with three minutes on the clock.

The Warriors then led by eight two more times, first at 72-64 after two free throws by Etienne with two minutes left and then again at 75-67 after an and-one by Quince with 1:13 remaining.

From there, the Trojans made their run over the next 45 seconds, outscoring Webber 7-1 over that span and taking advantage of 1-for-2 shooting at the free throw line by Tommie Luke to get back to within two at 76-74 following a pair of free throws themselves with only 30 seconds left to play.

Then, after Etienne went 1-for-2 from the free throw line himself, Taylor had a chance down 77-74 with 23 seconds left, but missed the game-tying 3-pointer.

Still, the Warriors could not close it out at the foul line as Quince went 0-for-2, giving the Trojans one last attempt to tie it on a corner three with seven seconds left, but fortunately Luke came up with his career-high 12th rebound to send Webber into Christmas Break on a winning note.

In the end, Luke finished with the first double-double of his junior season as he dropped 22 points and continued to show improvement in his overall game by hitting three 3-pointers and adding five assists to go along with the 12 boards.

Two other Warriors were very close to double-doubles themselves as Quince finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-best four steals while Corbin had 13 points himself on 60 percent shooting from the field to go along with eight boards.

Etienne was the fourth Warrior to reach double figures in scoring as he finished with 12 points on two 3-pointers.

Kevin Grace added seven points on two 3-pointers and had five rebounds, and Ariel Watson had six points on two 3-pointers as in all, four different Warriors hit at least two 3-pointers in the win.

Last but not least, Joel Coffey made his mark defensively by finishing with four blocks.

To start the game, Webber trailed 10-0 and 17-5 a little bit over five and a half minutes in before three straight 3-pointers, two by Luke and one by Etienne, and back-to-back fast break dunks by Corbin and Luke ignited the Warrior offense and started a huge 19-0 Webber run that put the home team ahead 24-17 with over nine minutes remaining in the first half.

When the Warriors return from Christmas Break to start the New Year, Webber will return to Sun Conference action on the road against Johnson & Wales University at 4 p.m. on Saturday, January 4, before returning home to the Sabbagh Athletic Center for a nonconference matchup with Welch College at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 7.