LAKE WALES, Fla. – NAIA DII #19 Warner Royals took down the visiting University of the Virgin Islands Buccaneers 84-81. Second half defense proved strong for the Royals holding the Buc's to just 28 points. 
 
The NAIA DII top-25 rankings were released yesterday and the Royals jumped three spots to regain the 19^thspot where they started the season. 
 
It was a scary first half inside of the T.A.C. tonight as the Royals trailed 39-53. The Buc's shot an outstanding 62% from the field hitting 5-9 of their three-point shots and 6-7 of their free-throws. The Royals shot a good 56% from the field also hitting 5-9 from three-point range while going 4-6 from the charity stripe.
 
The second half was where the Royals made their move. The Buc's extended their lead to a 15-point gap just a minute into the second half. Then it all snapped together for the Royals as they went on a run. They outscored the Buc's 45-28 in the second half that gave them the eventual 84-81 win. The Royals defense forced the Buc's to go cold shooting 30% from the field and only hitting 1-7 three pointers. Trae Graham had 2 massive blocks in the second half along with 6 defensive rebounds. Bart Schild also added a key block during the Royals scoring spree.
 
Trae Graham, NCCAA National Student-Athlete of the week last week, led the way for Warner with 18 points, 11 rebounds for a double-double, 2 blocks and 2 assists. 10-11 rebounds for Graham were defensively. Jalen Williams had 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists on the night for one of the better all-around performances. Bart Schild was 8-10 from the field before he left the game via fouling out and also had 3 rebounds with 1 block and 1 assist. The final double digit scorer was Darryl Mercer Jr. who capped off the night with 12 points, 5 defensive rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. 
 
The Royals hit the reset button after falling to (RV) Ave Maria Saturday and now will look to the bitter Webber International University rivalry this weekend as the Royals host the Warriors Saturday for another Sun Conference matchup.