AVE MARIA, Fla. – Warner Men's Basketball delivered a resilient effort on the road Wednesday night but ultimately fell 92–81 to No. 8 Ave Maria University in a SUN Conference matchup at 7:30 p.m. The Royals stayed within striking distance throughout the contest, trading runs with one of the conference's top-ranked programs.
Josh Irwin led all Royals in scoring, pouring in a game-high 22 points while shooting 9-of-21 from the field. Irwin connected on one three-pointer and added three free throws as Warner continued to apply pressure offensively against the nationally ranked Gyrenes.
On the glass, Bryson Castillo paced Warner with nine rebounds, helping the Royals compete inside. Seth Childers orchestrated the offense, dishing out a team-high seven assists, while Jamal Norris sparked the defensive effort with three steals. Akeem Dauphin added rim protection, recording two blocks on the night.
As a team, Warner shot 38.0 percent from the field (27-of-71), 30.0 percent from beyond the arc (9-of-30), and 64.3 percent from the free-throw line (18-of-28), staying aggressive throughout the matchup.
The Royals now turn their focus back to Lake Wales, where they will host SUN Conference opponent St. Thomas University on Saturday, January 10th, at 4:00 p.m. inside the Turner Athletic Center.
Game Leaders (Warner):
#GodBlessGoRoyals | #TogetherAsOne
