Babson Park, FL - The Webber International Men's Basketball team hosted the Keiser Seahawks Saturday afternoon in the Sabbagh Center. A close back and forth game saw late heroics from multiple Warriors help clinch a tight 85-84 victory at home.

Keiser got out to a quick 5-0 lead before Eden Holt made his first basket of the night, a layup. Zachary O'Callaghan also got in on the scoring early with an easy put back off of an offensive rebound. Holt made another basket before Orri Hilmarsson drained his first three of the night. With Kesier up by eight midway through the half, Gavin Buchanon connected on a triple to cut the deficit to five. Jovon Rosse got himself on the board off of an assist from Holt. Cooper Peterson connected from deep before Holt went 3/4 from the line to cut the Seahawks lead to 31-24. Buchanon made another basket and was sent to the line, sinking the and one opportunity before a layup from O'Callaghan put the Warriors down five. Holt and O'Callaghan ended the half scoring the final eight points for the Warriors on two made baskets and four free throws. Webber would be down 44-37 heading into the half.

Holt rainbowed a shot from downtown at the opening of the second half, before Dante Sofia hit his first shot of the night. Peterson and Rosse both got another layup, while Holt hit one of two from the line, hit another jump shot, and assisted Peterson on a three-pointer. Holt scored the next five on a two pointer and a three pointer to bring the deficit to six, 63-57. A three from O'Callaghan off the pass from Buchanon cut the deficit further, 63-60. Buchanon hit one free throw after and Holt sank another shot. Rosse scored the next five with a layup and three assisted by Buchanon, and the Warriors kept the deficit to 71-68. Holt and Hilmarsson scored the next four for Webber with Hilmarsson's layup keeping the Warriors in it 78-72. Holt's scoring outburst continued as he rattled off seven straight points for Webber, putting the Warriors within striking distance 84-79. The Warrior defense stood tough, as a steal from Peterson set up a three from Hilmarsson, putting the Warriors down two. Avoiding a foul, O'Callaghan grabbed a defensive rebound and put the ball in Holt's hands. Holt found Hilmarsson in the corner and Hilmarsson responded in kind, draining the dagger and giving the Warriors their first and only lead of the game. A streak down the court that hit the side of the backboard was all the Seahawks could muster and the Warriors took down the Seahawks 85-84.

Holt led all scorers with an outburst of 35 points. In addition to his point total, Holt found his teammates eight times, while also sinking nine free throws. O'Callaghan and Hilmarsson both had 11 points. O'Callaghan grabbed five boards while Hilmarsson had three. 
After the thrilling victory Head Coach Gabriel Rutledge said that he is extremely proud of his team. "We feel great, we continue to keep battling. I'm extremely proud of our guys for fighting for 40 minutes and making some great plays down the stretch."

On Holt's performance, he said "[Holt] hit some tough baskets late and found great assists down the stretch, especially finding Orri in the corner. I think one of the things that doesn't show up on the stat sheet is how vocal he is in the huddle during timeouts, keeping guys in focus during the whole game."

Coach Rutledge also acknowledged how great it was to play at home after a recent two game road stretch, and how important it is to get these types of wins at home.

The Warriors will be back in action on Wednesday February 7th when they travel to Brunswick, Georgia to take on the Coastal Georgia Mariners.

For the latest and most up-to-date information on Warrior Athletics. Please visit www.webberathletics.com. Follow us on Twitter- @WebberAthletics, Instagram- @Webber_Athletics, and Facebook by searching Webber International University Athletics.