THOMASVILLE, Ga. – Behind 53 points in the second half, No. 11 Warner University men's basketball team defeated Thomas University (Ga.) 84-65 on the road Monday night.  After trailing by as many as eight in the first half the Royals came all the way back to pick up their 15^th win of the season improving their record to 15-5 and 6-2 in The Sun Conference.  The Night Hawks fall to 8-13 with the loss and are now 2-6 in league play.

The Night Hawks had the upper hand early as they led 22-14 with 7:41 to go in the first half.  Warren Hall scored a bucket in the paint at the 7:19 mark to spark a quick 8-0 run that tied the game at 22-22.  Nick Macon nailed back to back three pointers to fuel the run as well.

John Barrett connected on a long range shot with 2:06 left on the clock giving Warner their first lead of the game, 27-24.  The Royals led by as many as six points over the final two minutes but had to hold on and went in at the break leading 31-30.

The Royals went to work extending their lead as the second half began.  AJ Lamb capped off a 12-3 run with a free throw at the 15:47 mark that gave the Royals a 43-33 lead. 
Two minutes later Eddie Delegal hit one of his four shots from behind the arc and the Royals led by 18 points, 55-37.

The Royals were on fire in the second half shooting 62.9% from the field including 6-of-11 from behind the arc.  Josh Ellis gave the Royals their first 20-point lead of the game, 62-42, with a bucket in the lane at the 9:40 mark.  The Night Hawks got to within 17 points of the Royals down the stretch but in the end the Warner offense was too much in the second half.

Hall recorded his fifth 30-point game of the season scoring 30 points on Monday night.  He also picked up his second straight double-double with 10 rebounds against the Night Hawks.  Delegal scored 20 points and had five rebounds before fouling out.  Josh Ellis led the bench effort with 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the game. 

The No. 11 Royals return home on Thursday, Jan. 28, for a rematch with cross-county rivals Southeastern University.  The Royals won the first meeting 81-70 in overtime.  Thursday's showdown will tip-off at approximately 7:30 p.m. from the Turner Athletic Center.

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