LAKELAND, Fla. – Warner fell to another NAIA Top 25 opponent in a game that went down to the wire.
 
The Royals held a 2-point lead with just 48 seconds remaining in the game. Yet again, their hopes were crushed via the shot from beyond the arc when Riley Minx of Southeastern nailed a three to give the Fire a 1-point lead. The Royals had a final chance in the closing seconds and missed a game winning layup.
 
Trailing 32-36 after the first half, Warner heated up outscoring the Fire 39-36 in the second half. The efforts were stopped as the Fire earned the 72-71 victory in the Furnace.
 
Rod Boggan finished the night with a team high 19 points. Maxwell Benoit netted 15 points and 5 rebounds. Anterrius Washington was the last Royal to reach double digits with 11 points on the night. Jaquez Dickerson was the leading rebounder for the Royals pulling in 8 defensive boards and also tallied 4 blocks on the night.