LAKE WALES, Fla. (January 21, 2022) – The Webber International University men's basketball team faced its Crooked Lake rivals, Warner University, for the second time this season on Thursday night. This time on the road, the Warriors fell yet again by single digits in a tightly contested game, 73-66.
 
The Warriors (7-14 overall, 2-7 SUN) outrebounded the Royals (12-8, 6-3) 34-27 in total for the game but were unable to keep up with the scoring pace of Warner. The Royals shot an impressive 50 percent from the field and scored 27 points off the bench, 24 of which came from Darryl Mercer.
 
The first ten minutes of the first half was back-and-forth between the two teams, with the Warriors trailing by just one at 21-20. However, the Royals would go on a 13-0 run over the next five minutes to extend their lead at 34-20 with just under five minutes before the half. Webber would cut the deficit to single digits before the break and head into halftime down 36-29.
 
The second half of the game would prove to be quite even, however, the Warriors would be unable to threaten the Warner-lead.
 
Webber had three main scorers in the game as Jaylon Myles, Eddie Davis, and Tiyon Martin all led the team with 16 points each. Chinecherem Anukaenyi finished with a game-high 11 rebounds followed by Loro Natana with five rebounds and four points.
 
"It was a tough road loss," spoke Head Coach Gabriel Rutledge. "I thought our guys had a great week of practice, preparing for a tough opponent. Our start to the game wasn't great but our guys did a great job battling to overcome it. We will continue to fight, learn from our mistakes, and start making winning plays late in the game. Go Warriors!"
 
The Warriors now return home as they host Ave Maria University on Saturday, January 22 at 4 p.m. inside the Sabbagh Athletic Center.