HIALEAH, Fla. (November 22, 2022) - The Webber International University men's basketball team traveled to South Florida to take on Florida National University in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday afternoon. After trailing by as many as 12, the Warriors came from behind in the second half to grab a narrow 72-70 victory on the road.

The Warriors (3-1 overall) shot 53.3 percent from the field and an impressive 90 percent from the charity stripe. Webber also out-rebounded the Conquistadors (1-5) 28-22.

Florida National started the game off strong, taking an early 6-0 lead before the Warriors battled back to even it up at 9-9 roughly five and a half minutes in. A 12-4 run by FNU over the next seven minutes saw its lead extended to eight points. Webber pulled back within two, although momentum swung back in the direction of the Conquistadors as they regained their eight point lead and kept their foot on the gas, leading by as many as 12 before a layup by K'Shun Stokes with five seconds remaining cut the deficit to 10 at 37-27 at halftime.

The Warriors began working their way back into the game in the second half, but a run by FNU saw them regain their 12-point lead with 12 minutes left in the game. An 18-7 run from Webber over the next seven minutes, meant that the Warriors trailed by just one. A layup by Loro Natana would give the Warriors their first lead of the game with roughly five and a half minutes remaining. A few minutes later, back to back layups from Eddie Davis and Stokes earned Webber a five-point lead but FNU would not go down easily. The Conquistadors tied the game at 69 with just 44 seconds remaining. Tiyon Martin sank three free throws within the final minute to help hold off Florida National for the victory.

"It is always tough to win on the road in college basketball and despite their record, Florida National is a tough team that plays hard", said Head Coach Gabriel Rutledge. "I thought we were well-prepared for this game, but struggled to execute in the first half. We were on our heels which made us too passive on defense and a little stagnant on offense. We addressed it at the halftime break and made some needed adjustments. Defensively, we tried to turn up the heat a little bit in the second half, which enabled us to play faster on offense. I am incredibly proud of the way our guys completed, stuck together and kept belief throughout all 40 minutes. Go Warriors."

Stokes led the way offensively for the Warriors, scoring a season-high 26 points, 21 of which came in the second half, along with five rebounds and two assists. He was followed by Davis with 17 points on a near-perfect 87.5 percent shooting from the field with six rebounds. Martin ended with nine points and led the team in both assists and rebounds with eight and seven, respectively. Natana came off the bench to score eight points in nine minutes and added two rebounds as well.

Webber now returns to Sun Conference action as it will take on Southeastern University on Thursday, December 1st. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. at The Furnace in Lakeland, Florida.