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Florida Memorial University Athletics

Scoreboard

FMU player
Charles Bethel Jr.
85
Winner Florida Memorial FLORIDA 2-3, 2-0
79
Warner WARNER 1-3, 0-2
Winner
Florida Memorial FLORIDA
2-3, 2-0
85
Final
79
Warner WARNER
1-3, 0-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Florida Memorial FLORIDA 18 27 24 16 85
Warner WARNER 14 20 28 17 79

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | J.T. Wilcox, Sports Information Director

Barnett Has Strong Night, Lions WBB Top Warner 85-79

LAKE WALES, Fla. – Sophomore Chantel Barnett turned in her best performance up to this point in the season, finishing with 19 points and 6 steals to lead Florida Memorial University to an 85-79 victory over host Warner University Thursday night at WU's Turner Athletic Center Gymnasium.
 
After leading by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, Florida Memorial found itself in a battle for the game in the waning minutes as Warner rallied all the way back and even took a 79-78 lead with just under two minutes to play.
 
Senior guard Aliyah-Deen Ahmad gave FMU (2-3, 2-0 The Sun Conference) the lead (81-79) again with a three-pointer. The Lions turned up its defensive intensity over the final 99 seconds, holding Warner scoreless while extending its lead thanks to clutch free throw shooting down the stretch to secure the 85-79 victory.
 
The Lions had four players register double-digit point totals Thursday; also getting a season-high 17 points from Ahmad, 14 points from Diamond Mays, and a season-high 10 points from Natalia Leguizamon as Florida Memorial defeated Warner for the 13th consecutive time since the 2017 season.
 
Florida Memorial, which will host Keiser University this coming Saturday at 2 p.m., took control of Thursday's game early, holding as large as an 8-point lead in the first quarter and an 11-point advantage in the second quarter, which it took into halftime at 45-34 score.
 
After opening a 15-point lead (68-53) over the Royals with just under two minutes left in the third quarter, the Lions saw Warner University go on a 23-6 run to climb back into the game.
 
FMU's shooting cooled during the fourth quarter, as it shot just 33 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from three-point range over the final eight minutes. The only three that the Lions saw go down in the fourth was Ahmad's go-ahead shot from distance. The saving grace for the Lions was its 5-of-8 clip from the free throw line during the fourth.
 
Warner University (1-3, 0-2) also had four players finish with 10 or more points – including two players registering double-doubles – and the Royals out-rebounding the Lions 42-36. The equalizer was WU's 20 turnovers Thursday, 13 of which coming off of FMU steals.
 
While Florida Memorial head coach Gregory Stanback surely wasn't happy to see his team let a 16-point, second-half lead get away from them he had to be pleased with its ability to regain control and earn the team's second conference win of the season.
 
It was also a bittersweet night for Stanback in watching his usual offensive stalwart – senior guard Keaynna Tolbert – be saddled with foul trouble and only account for 8 points in 23 minutes of action but encouraging to see other players, like Leguizamon, Mays, and Dasani Williamson (5 points and 3 rebounds off the bench) step in and make tangible impacts Thursday.
 
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