BABSON PARK, Fla. (February 23, 2021) – The third-seeded Webber International University women's basketball team defeated sixth-seeded Florida Memorial University by a final score of 69-67 during The Sun Conference Tournament quarterfinal round on Tuesday evening inside the Sabbagh Athletic Center.

Webber is now 17-9 overall on the season and will live to see another day in The Sun Conference Tournament while FMU finished its year up at 10-11. It was also the fifth straight win for the Warriors over the Lady Lions, and was the second year in a row Webber defeated FMU at home in the TSC quarterfinals.

This one was about as close as it could be at the end as the two teams combined for 12 lead changes and 10 ties throughout the contest, and in the fourth quarter alone, the lead changed eight times.

A jumper by Paris Copeland with 2:11 left to play was the final lead change of the game, putting Webber ahead by only one at 66-65.

Then after a big steal by Samantha Pacheco on the next possession, LeAndra Franklin finished with the fast break layup to make it 68-65 with 1:38 remaining.

The Lady Lions then cut the Warriors' lead back down to one at 68-67 after a steal and layup with 39 seconds left.

After another Webber turnover with 28 seconds remaining, Copeland came up with a steal with 11 seconds left, setting up a trip to the free throw line with only three seconds left for Franklin, who went 1-for-2.

Following a timeout to advance the ball, FMU had possession on its half of the floor with three seconds remaining and a chance to tie the game with a two or win it with a three, but great pressure by the Warriors' defense forced a tough 3-pointer that went off the backboard.

Four Warriors finished in double figures in scoring, led by Eletra Graham with 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting from 3-point range.

Next was Amaya Small with 14 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.

Dasia Wandick scored 11 points and had a career-high six steals, and Franklin scored 10 points while adding eight assists, her second-highest assist total of the season.

Copeland finished with eight points and six rebounds, Rushell Jacob had four points and a team-high seven rebounds, and Pacheco also scored four points.

Webber's Head Coach Grady Morrell said, "We played with heart and resilience today, which was something we had been missing for the last two weeks. I am glad we found a way to win, and now we have to get ready for a tough semifinal matchup on Friday."

Next up is The Sun Conference Tournament semifinals as the Warriors will take on second-seeded St. Thomas University on Friday, February 26, on the campus of Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. St. Thomas defeated seventh-seeded Ave Maria University 65-59 earlier on Tuesday. During the regular season, the Warriors fell three times against the Bobcats, all by 10 points or less. Webber lost 77-73 at home on December 3, 77-71 at home on January 7, and 68-58 on the road on January 30.