LAKE WALES, Fla. – Royals remain undefeated at home after taking on the No. 1 team in the nation University of Saint Francis (Ind.).
This is the first time since 2011 that the Royals win against a team that is ranked No. 1. This history between the Cougars and the Royals dates back to December 17, 2012, which is the first time these two teams faced each other, and Warner won 66-54. The Royals have a winning record against USF of 4-3.
Going into halftime the Royals were down by three points.
Josh Glesil was the leading scorer in in the first half with 11 points. Following Glesil was
Logan West with 7 points and 5 rebounds. Warner came out with a different energy after halftime, and it definitely showed as the Royals outscored the Cougars 53-32 in the second half.
Joseph Martz was the was leading scorer for the Royals tonight as notched his season high of 22 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Martz went 4-5 from beyond the arc and from the line. Following Martz was
Blaize Darling Jr., he registered 18 points as he went 7-13 from the field and 4-5 from the line. West was just shy of a double-double with 17 points and 7 rebounds in the night. He also a season high of 4 blocks and 5 assists.
Head Coach
Sean Hanrahan said, "We try to pride ourselves on defense and sharing the ball. We did that very well in the second half. We didn't give up any 3pt makes in the second half and rebounding was much better. Our offense was sticking in the first half, and it showed. We were down by 3pts. We stuck to our offensive game plan and shots started to fall. First half USF did a great job of taking advantage of us off turnovers and offensive rebounds. We were able to limit those easy baskets in the 2nd. I am very proud of our team. USF is very well coached and obviously one of the best teams in the nation."
The Royals play in the Warner Christmas Classic starting Thursday, December 16
th until the 17
th. They play Missouri Baptist University on Thursday and Columbia International University on Friday before the holiday break.
