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Florida Memorial University Athletics

Scoreboard

FMU player
David Badia | SportsMediaDB
71
Winner Florida Memorial FLORIDA 16-10, 9-7
68
Warner WARNER 18-11, 12-4
Winner
Florida Memorial FLORIDA
16-10, 9-7
71
Final
68
Warner WARNER
18-11, 12-4
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Florida Memorial FLORIDA 31 40 71
Warner WARNER 32 36 68

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

Benton Shines, 5-Seed FMU MBB Upsets 1-Seed Warner University 71-68 Friday, Advances To SUN Championship Game

LAKE WALES, Fla. – Senior guard and newly honored All-Sun Conference First Team selection Corey Benton scored a team-high 22 points as 5-seed Florida Memorial University controlled the entire second half and survived a late scare en route to toppling final four host and 1-seed Warner University 71-68 Friday night in Sun Conference Tournament semifinals.
 
The Lions advance to the SUN Tournament Championship game, where it will face 3-seed Ave Maria University – which knocked out 2-seed Southeastern 84-64 earlier Friday – Saturday night at 5 p.m. in Warner University's Turner Athletic Center.
 
How It Happened
  • Benton put FMU ahead 71-64 with 1:46 left to play with a jumper over the outstretched hands of a Warner defender.
  • Warner University did cut into that lead, getting a three-pointer and layup on consecutive possessions to pull within three.
  • FMU's Carington Campbell missed a layup with 13 seconds left, the Royals rebounded it, and called a timeout.
  • Warner's Joseph Martz broke free from Gordon, dribbled to the corner, and got off an uncontested three-pointer that caromed off the rim – cementing the Lions' 71-68 victory.
  • After trailing by one (32-31) at halftime, FMU opened the second half with a Jacobi Gordon three-pointer to take a 2-point lead.
  • The Lions held onto that lead over the final 18:26 of the half, extending it to as many as eight multiple times.
 
Inside The Box Score
  • Benton was 8-for-19 from the floor Friday but drained 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
  • Brent Holcombe finished two rebounds shy of a double-double – totaling 17 points and 8 boards.
  • Gordon gave FMU a lift by scoring 14 points in 21 minutes of action.
  • The Lions out-rebounded Warner 45-35 – led by Jethro Tshisumpa's 9 rebounds.
  • Tshisumpa also finished with a game-high 4 blocks.
  • Florida Memorial shot 45 percent (9-for-20) from three-point range while the Royals shot just 25 percent (6-for-24).
  • WU's Darryl Mercer was the game's leading scorer with 23 points and was one of two Warner players to finish in double figures.
 
Analysis & Notes
  • FMU advances to the Sun Conference Tournament championship game for the first time since the 2016-17 season, when it – ironically – lost to Warner University.
  • Florida Memorial did a solid job defensively, contesting shots and mostly staying attached to Warner's guards on the perimeter.
  • Lions guard Eric Hester, who has been battling through an upper extremity injury since the start of the SUN Tournament, played 27 minutes off the bench and gave FMU 5 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists in 27 minutes.
  • With its win Friday, Florida Memorial won the "rubber match" against the Royals – after they split the two regular season matchups.
  • The Lions improve to 16-10 overall – the team's most wins since the 2016-17 season (18 wins).
  • Warner University finishes its season 18-11.
 
Up Next
Florida Memorial will face 3-seed Ave Maria University Saturday night in the Sun Conference Tournament championship game at 5 p.m. at Warner University's Turner Athletic Center.
 
Follow Florida Memorial University Athletics on social media
Instagram: @GoFMULions/@FMU_MBB | Twitter: @GoFMULions | YouTube: Official FMU Lions
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