Winter Haven, FL – Two Warriors drop double-digits as Webber defeated the Mighty Banyans in dominant fashion on Saturday afternoon. WIU moves to 9-2 on the season as Tyrone Nesby IV grabbed his sixth 20-point game of the season.
K'Shun Stokes led the Warriors with 28 points, four steals, three rebounds, and an assist. Nesby netted 27 points, five rebounds, two steals, and a block. Gavin Buchanon got his first start for the Warriors this year, which proved to be successful, as he notched eight points, three rebounds, two assists, and a block.
Nesby got things started for the Warriors, as he sank a bucket after winning the tip-off. A steal by Stokes extended the lead to four after his layup was good. Zachary O'Callaghan also got his first start of the season and had the third score for the Warriors to make it a 6-2 lead.
Nesby and Stokes grabbed nine points over the next five minutes for the Warriors, to make it 15-13. Jovon Rosse checked in and managed six swift points to keep Webber up by two with 11 minutes to go. A triple from Orri Hilmarsson made it a three-point game with five minutes left. Free throws by Stokes sent the Warriors to the locker room, up 39-36.
The Warriors opened the second half with two free throws from Nesby, coupled with a double from Buchanon. The Mighty Banyans kept fighting, as the Warriors went on a 15-9 run. A jumper by Nesby gave the Warriors their biggest lead of the night – 14 points.
Webber netted 17 points in the final three minutes of the game to coast past the Mighty Banyans. With this, the Warriors grabbed their ninth win of the season, marking the best start in program history.
When asked about the win, Head Coach Gabriel Rutledge said he is "proud of the energy and effort, especially in the second half. Bouncing back after a tough road loss isn't always easy, but our guys did a great job buying into the game plan and executing it very well. We started off the game a little slow but really focused on defense to start the second half, which allowed us to go on a nice run. We have to do a better job not letting off the intensity, but New College of Florida did a good job at continuing to fight. We will continue to grow in the right direction and improve on and off the court. Go Warriors!".
Webber will be back in action on Friday, December 15th as they are set to host Goshen College in Winter Haven at 7:00 PM.
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