Lady Royals Dominate in Conference Tournament Opener
LAKE WALES, Fla. - The Warner University men’s and women’s basketball teams both claimed the No. 3 seed in their respective conference tournaments. With both teams defeating Johnson & Wales University (Fla.) on senior night this past Saturday, they both earned a first round home game. The Lady Royals started things off at 6 p.m. where they welcomed the sixth seed Florida Memorial University to the Turner Athletic Center. The men then took on Ave Maria University (Fla.) at 8 p.m. The Lady Royals split the regular season match-ups with the Lions, while the Royals did the same with the Gyrenes with both games going into overtime.
The Lady Royals opened the game with a pair of 3-pointers from Shawnelle Campbell and Tracy Gentry and did not surrender the lead for the rest of the half. Gentry’s shooting helped Warner extend their lead into double-digits, as she shot 4-for-5 from behind the arc. She led the home side at the break with 14 points. The Lions outshot the Lady Royals in the opening half going 42.9 percent from the field to Warner’s 34.4 percent. The home side would take advantage of the visitor’s turnovers, however, as they forced 12. With a late surge the Lions were able to close the gap to six, but the Lady Royals would lead 31-25 at the break.
Shawnelle Campbell and Alexandra Melsonson would take over from where Gentry left off. The two seniors combined for 32 points in the second half to lead the Lady Royals into the next round of The Sun Conference Tournament. The Lady Royals continued to shoot well from behind the arc going 4-for-8, while the Lions put up a goose egg from long range. Constant pressure and good communication allowed Warner to play sound defense and cash in on multiple fast break points. As the final seconds counted down the Lady Royals would coast to a convincing 75-56 victory.
There were four Lady Royals in double-digits for the game. Shawnelle Campbell led all players with 21 points, and secured a double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds. Alexandra Melsonson finished with 17 points, five assists, and a team high five steals. Tracy Gentry carried her first half total through the second half to finish with 14, going 4-for-5 from behind the arc. Katarina Olivo would put in a solid 36 minutes, adding 10 points, five rebounds, and a team high six assists. Coming off the bench, Allison Porter finished close to a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds.
With the win the Lady Royals improve to 15-14 (8-6 TSC), while the Lions are eliminated from The Sun Conference Tournament. Warner will travel to St. Thomas University (Fla.) where the remainder of the tournament will be hosted. The Lady Royals will play against No. 19 St. Thomas after they beat Johnson & Wales University (Fla.) in their opening round game. The game will take place Friday, February 24th, with a start time still to be announced.