Score: Keiser 66, No. 16 Warner 70
Records: Keiser (14-13, 10-7 TSC), No. 16 Warner (21-8, 14-3 TSC)
Location: Turner Athletic Center – Lake Wales, Fla.
Keiser Starters: Fisher (G), Perkins (G), Radulovic (G), Orlic (F), Matic (F)
Warner Starters: Mercer Jr. (G), Williams (G), Walker (G), Graham (F), Schobben (F)

Keiser Highlights

• Jermar Perkins canned three triples and finished with a game-high 19 points along with a team-high six assists.
• CJ Fisher had a solid night alongside Perkins in the backcourt with 18 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting, and also matched a season-high with a game-high ten rebounds.
• Marko Orlic contributed nine points and seven rebounds, and matched Perkins by sinking three shots from beyond the arc.

 
Turning Point
A small spurt of six unanswered points for the Royals was enough to put the hosts in front of the Seahawks with just over seven minutes still to play, a lead that would never be relinquished from that point forward.
 
How it Happened

• The Seahawks came out ready to play defense and forced the Royals into misses on their first five attempts, as Keiser was able to go out in front 4-0 all the way until Warner's first basket, a three-pointer, with 15:36 on the clock.
• Two free throws from Aaron Gedeon made the score 6-3 Keiser, but the Royals started a 6-0 run that put the hosts ahead for the first time and wasn't halted until two free-throws were converted by Perkins nearing midway through the first half.
• The teams went back-and-forth until the score was 13-10 Warner with 11:08 on the clock, but the Seahawks claimed their largest lead of the half by producing seven unanswered points, capped off by an Orlic triple.
• Keiser maintained a slim advantage all the way until the Royals' converted with a backdoor alley-oop at the 5:09 mark to go back in front, 24-23.
• Neither team could really distance itself from the other as the offenses started to come alive, but it was the Royals that went into the halftime break with the momentum. Warner broke a 33-33 deadlock with two three-pointers in the final minute to seize their largest lead of the half, 39-33.
• Warner opened the second half with yet another three-pointer, their sixth of the game, and Keiser was unable to draw to within a single possession until an Andrija Matic layup and Perkins trifecta brought it to 46-43 Warner with 14:34 to play.
• The Seahawks drew it all the way even at 50-50 following an Orlic long ball, and soon after took their first lead of the second half, 53-52, after Perkins' third conversion from beyond the arc at the 10:58 mark.
• When trailing 55-53, Warner was able to net six unanswered points to turn the tide once more before a Marko Radulovic layup made it 59-57 Royals with 6:23 remaining.
• Keiser drew to within two points on three separate occasions in the final 5:29 of play, but Warner was able to get stops and produce baskets on the offensive end to hold off the Seahawks attempts to tie or take the lead.

 
Inside the Box Score

• Fisher had 14 points at the halftime break to lead the way for Keiser and went on to finish with 18 points while matching his Keiser career-high of ten rebounds.
• The Royals finished at 50 percent shooting from the floor (25-of-50), while the Seahawks were in contention despite shooting 38.2 percent from the field (21-of-55).
• The Seahawks were effective from the charity stripe, hitting on 18-of-20 attempts.
• Keiser was able to outrebound Warner 34-26.

 
Game Notes

• Despite the defeat, Keiser still leads the all-time series with Warner 20-10.
• Keiser was attempting to become the first team to defeat Warner on their home court this season, but the No. 16 Royals were able to impressively improve to 14-0 on their home court while sealing the Sun Conference regular season championship.

 
Ties: 2
Lead Changes: 14
Largest Lead: Keiser (4), Warner (9)
 
Team Leaders
Keiser
Points: Perkins (19)
Rebounds: Fisher (10)
Assists: Perkins (6)
 
No. 16 Warner
Points: Mercer Jr. (16)
Rebounds: Graham (6)
Assists: Mercer Jr. (8)
 
Up Next
Just one more game remains in the Sun Conference regular season, and up ahead for the Seahawks is Senior Day on Saturday, February 16 against Webber International. The Seahawks will honor their two seniors prior to the 4:00 tipoff for a game that will have significant implications on seeding for the upcoming Sun Conference Tournament.