Men's Basketball 11/14/2018 11:45:00 AM SID GA, Kyle Cunningham

Warner Men’s Basketball – Royals Host Undefeated Gyrenes In First TSC Action Of Season

LAKE WALES, Fla. – This Thursday the Warner Royals host the Ave Maria Gyrenes, in what will be the first TSC conference game for both teams this 2018-2019 season.

The Royals come into the game with a 4-1 record, having won their last 2 games by a combined 20 points. Warner defeated FNU last week 87-82 and defeated Johnson University 92-75 at home, earlier in the week.

The Gyrenes come into Thursday game with a perfect 4-0 record and have outscored opponents 333-280 this season. 3 of the 4 Gyrenes wins have come on the road this year, so the team is quite used to playing and winning on the road.

Warner is 2-0 at home this season, winning their first game of the year against FNU 91-90 and defeating Johnson University this past Monday 92-75; so expect this game to have the appeal and machismo of a heavy-weight prize fight!

Both teams come into the game struggling from the Free Throw line so far this season. Warner is shooting 71% from the Free Throw line as a team, while the Gyrenes are shooting 67%.

The difference in Thursday's game will be who can make their Free Throws down the stretch and remain disciplined on defense.

Last Meeting…

January 20^th, 2018
Warner defeated Ave Maria 93-53 at home
WU – 4 players scored in double-digits; Warner shot 61% from the field
WU – Khalil Ozuna lead the Royals in scoring with 18 points
AVE – 3 players scored in double-digits

Warner Sports Information Game Changers

AVE – Leo Behrend leads the Gyrenes with a 25 point per game average, 48 rebounds and 11 steals.

Gianpaolo Riccio is 2^nd in scoring, averaging 13 points per game.

Romello Bates leads the Gyrenes with 28 assists and is averaging 10.8 points per game.

WU – Trae Graham, Khalil Ozuna, and Jarred Anderson are Warner's leading scorers this season.

Trae Graham leads the team with a 19 point per game average, 8 blocks and 35 defensive rebounds.

Khalil Ozuna follows with a 15.4 point per game average and leads the team in total rebounds with 47 and steals with 7
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Jarred Anderson is averaging 13.4 points per game through the team's first 5 games and leads the team with 17 assist.

Darryl Mercer Jr. has been a key player for the Royals, acting as a 6^th man, averaging 8.4 points per game and tallying 16 assists so far this year. Mercer leads the Royals in FG%, shooting 64% from the field.

Team Comparison: