5-Seed Lions MBB Ready To Take Down 1-Seed Warner University In SUN Tournament Semifinals Friday

AT A GLANCE
FMU Lions (15-10) at Warner University Royals (18-10)
When: Friday, February 25, 2022
Where: Warner University, Lake Wales, Fla. | Turner Athletic Center
Tip-off: 7 p.m.
Last Meeting: Jan. 29, 2022, Win 72-58
Live Stream: Link
Live Stats: Link

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – 5-Seed Florida Memorial University will be looking to create a bit of pre-March madness when it faces Sun Conference Championship Tournament 1-seed and host Warner University Friday night in the tournament's semifinal round at WU's Turner Athletic Center.

Friday's semifinal, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. but will officially tip-off 30 minutes following the conclusion of the preceding semifinal game between Southeastern University and Ave Maria University, will be the "rubber match" between the Lions and Royals this season as the programs split their two regular season games.

About The Lions (15-10)

FMU made its way to the SUN final four by knocking out rival St. Thomas University 76-74 this past Tuesday.
Corey Benton and Brent Holcombe, who were named to the All-Sun Conference First and Second Team respectively, each scored 15 points to lead the Lions while Holcombe notched a double-double with a game-high 14 rebounds.
Florida Memorial is making its first appearance in the Sun Conference postseason tournament under head coach Ansar Al-Ameen.
The Lions defeated Warner 72-58 on January 29th in the FMU Wellness Center but lost 86-57 on the Royals' home floor back in November.
FMU senior center Jethro Tshisumpa, a former four-star top 100 national recruit coming out of high school, has seen an uptick in his production recently – recording double-doubles in FMU's final two games of the regular season and chipping in 12 points and 2 blocks against STU in Tuesday's opening round game.

Scouting Warner (18-10)

Warner enters the semifinals rested, having earned a first-round bye as the top seed.
The Royals ended its regular season winning five straight games – following its January loss at Florida Memorial.
WU hasn't made it past the second of the SUN Tournament since the 2016-17 season, when it won the title.
Four different Warner players are averaging at least 12 points per game this season, led by Darryl Mercer's 15.1 PPG.
Royals head coach Sean Hanrahan is in his 14th season leading the program and has led the team to four NAIA National Tournament appearances.

Series History

FMU trails the all-time series against the Royals 14-33.
The teams last met in the postseason during the 2017 Sun Conference Tournament Championship game, where Warner defeated Florida Memorial 79-63 in the FMU Wellness Center.
The Lions did top WU 72-58 in their second regular season meeting earlier this season – snapping a four-game losing streak to Warner.

Keys To Victory

Holcombe's and Tshisumpa's – and the Lions as a whole – ability to score in the paint should be big. Warner's tallest player is 6-foot-8, giving FMU an inherent advantage with the 6-foot-9 Holcombe and 6-foot-10 Tshisumpa.
Backcourt defense will be a determining factor – when Florida Memorial topped WU, it held the Royals' top three guards – Johnathan Joseph, Joseph Martz, and Blaize Darling under 10 points.

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Players Mentioned

#44 Corey Benton: G; 6' 2"; Senior

#23 Brent Holcombe: F; 6' 8"; Graduate Student

#42 Jethro Tshisumpa: C; 6' 10"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

#44 Corey Benton
: 6' 2"; Senior
: G

#23 Brent Holcombe
: 6' 8"; Graduate Student
: F

#42 Jethro Tshisumpa
: 6' 10"; Graduate Student
: C

Florida Memorial University Athletics

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

#44 Corey Benton

#23 Brent Holcombe

#42 Jethro Tshisumpa

Players Mentioned

#44 Corey Benton

#23 Brent Holcombe

#42 Jethro Tshisumpa