LAKE WALES, Fla. – February 7^that 7:30 PM the Royals from Warner University will take on the Bobcats from St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Fla. at the Fernandez Family Center. This game will be the 15^thconference game of the season for both sides.
 
Warner comes into the game with a 19-7 overall record and sits atop the Sun Conference with a 12-2 conference record this season. The Royals have the top offense in the TSC, averaging 84 points a game and also have the best field goal percentage in the conference, shooting 49.6% from the field as a team this season. They also have made the jump from NAIA DII #19 to NAIA DII #16 in this weeks NAIA Top-25 poll. 

Warner is 7-3 on the road thus far this season and is riding a 4-game win streak as they enter Thursday's game. The Royals have also won 11 of their last 12 games.

The Royals are the only team thus far to have clinched a TSC playoff spot and in doing so, they over as #1 in TSC after their win last weekend over the College of Coastal Georgia and Southeastern's loss to Ave Maria.  

St. Thomas comes into the game with an overall record of 9-13 and a conference record of 8-6. The Bobcats are 6-4 at home this season and are currently riding a 2 game win streak.

Warner Head Coach Sean Hanrahan won his 259^thgame against Coastal Georgia and had this to say about the game of the week matchup, "As we get closer to the end of the regular season every games importance is magnified. Even more so when we play St. Thomas on their home turf. The great history and bond I have with their coaches always leads to interesting game finishes and has been one of our toughest games every year. We have a great amount of respect for their team and look forward to the challenge."
 
Previous Game:
January 5^th, 2019; Warner defeated the Bobcats at home in the Turner Athletic Center, 79-72.
Trae Graham had a game high 26 points and 10 rebounds; three other Royals also scored in double-digits:

• Khalil Ozuna – 19 points
• Darryl Mercer Jr. – 13 points
• Jaylan Shelton – 13 points

 
Players To Watch:
Warner Royals:

• #4 Trae Graham – 18.7 PPG, 204 Rebounds, 31 Assists, 30 Blocks, 17 Steals
• #13 Darryl Mercer Jr. – 12.3 PPG, 98 Assists, 76 Rebounds, 30 Steals
• #3 Jaylan Shelton – 11.0 PPG, 98 Rebounds, 78 Assists, 29 Steals

 
Freshman standout Darryl Mercer Jr. will be a player to watch for Warner. The 6'0, guard is averaging 12.3 points over 26 games played this season but has averaged 16.5 points over his last 14 games including three 24+ point performances in his last six games. Mercer also leads the team with 98 assists and 30 steals. His 47 three-pointers made is best on the team and the guard is shooting 88 percent from the free throw line.
 
ST. Thomas Bobcats:

• #1 Justin Brown – 17.8 PPG, 95 Rebounds, 34 Assists, 17 Steals
• #21 Aaron Dutcher – 11.9 PPG, 104 Rebounds, 12 Assists, 11 Blocks, 16 Steals
• #3 Philip Saunders – 9.7 PPG, 78 Rebounds, 60 Assists, 38 Steals

 
Junior Forward Aaron Dutcher is a player to watch for St. Thomas. The California native is averaging 11.9 points per game. He recorded a 20 point performance on 10-of-13 shooting last week against Johnson & Wales.In 15 games for St. Thomas, Dutcher is shooting a team best 56.6 percent from the field and grabbing a team high 6.9 rebounds per game. 
 
The Royals offense has been a high-powered machine all year and has been a major reason for their success this year. With several offensive weapons to choose from Head Coach Sean Hanrahan has done a great job finding a balance in playing time and been able to keep the offense rolling no matter who is on the court for the team.
 
The Royals defense has done its fair share of the work as well, only allowing 79 PPG and helping lead the Royals to the top of the Sun conference so far in this 2018-2019 season.
 
Warner NAIA Offensive/Defensive Rankings:

Ranks Number 6 in Division II in Total Assists (465)

Ranks Number 7 in Division II in Assists per Game (17.885)

Ranks Number 10 in Division II in Total Rebound Defense (31.520)

Ranks Number 12 in Division II in Field Goal Pct (0.496)

Ranks Number 16 in Division II in Total Rebound Margin (6.923)

Ranks Number 22 in Division II in Assist/Turnover Ratio (1.303)

Ranks Number 22 in Division II in Total Scoring Offense (2205)

Ranks Number 28 in Division II in Free Throw Pct (0.740)

Ranks Number 30 in Division II in Scoring Offense per Game (84.808)

Ranks Number 31 in Division II in Scoring Margin (8.500)

Ranks Number 31 in Division II in Field Goal Pct Defense (0.427)

Ranks Number 31 in Division II in Total Blocks (82)

Ranks Number 34 in Division II in Blocks per Game (3.154)

Ranks Number 50 in Division II in Total Total Rebound Offense (968)

 
 
The Royals currently sit atop the TSC playoff race and have already clinched a playoff spot after last week's games; 
Updated Standings (Through 2/2/19)
 

School	TSC	TSC Pct.	Overall	Overall PCT	Streak	GB	GB Playoffs	TSC GMs Remaining
Warner (16) - x	12-2	0.857	19-7	0.731	W4	--	--	4
Southeastern (20)	11-3	0.786	18-6	0.750	L1	1	--	4
Ave Maria (RV)	9-5	0.643	16-8	0.667	W1	3	--	4
Keiser	9-6	0.600	13-12	0.520	L1	3.5	--	3
St. Thomas	8-6	0.571	9-13	0.409	W2	4	--	4
Thomas*	8-7	0.533	12-11	0.522	W1	4.5	--	3
Coastal Georgia*	8-7	0.533	13-12	0.520	L1	4.5	--	3
Florida Memorial - z	3-11	0.214	5-21	0.192	W1	9	4.5	4
Webber Int'l - z	2-12	0.143	11-15	0.423	L3	10	5.5	4
Johnson & Wales (Fla.) -z	2-13	0.133	2-20	0.091	L5	10.5	6	3

*Thomas holds the tiebreaker over Coastal Georgia in head-to-head, 1-0
x-clinched playoff spot
z-eliminated from race
 
The Sun Conference website has released two stories involving the Royals and their game this Thursday; to view either article please click in either of the links below:
The Sun Conference Playoff Race
The Sun Conference Game of the Week
 
To view the game or keep up with live stats please visit the following link:
Bobcats Stretch Internet Portal