The Fire took to the road today to take on conference rival Warner University. Behind a strong performance from forward Anthony Duncan, they were able to score a critical 63-59 victory over the hosting Royals.
The game started slowly, as the Fire fell behind 9-2 early. However, they were able to battle back and tie it up at nine at the 12:31 mark with a three from guard Derek Murphy. That three would be the only one of the contest for the Fire as they went on to go 1-11 from long distance.
The game would go back and forth and Duncan would make his presence known going 4-4 from the field in the first half, scoring nine points. Duncan finished with 15 points in the game shooting 7-8 and grabbing nine boards. This, however, was overrun by an 8-2 stretch from the Royals as they went up 27-18 with a 3-pointer from Skyler Scull. A late first half shot from Amir Brikat brought the game within six, 27-21, Brikat had nine points on the night.
The second half started just as slowly as the first, as the Fire fell behind by ten, 33-23. That was when the Fire turned up the heat, cranking out 15 straight unanswered points. Joshua Blazquez had four points over that stretch, adding to his total of 11 points, he also had three assists on the night. This run forced a full timeout from Warner at the 13:29 mark in the second half with the Fire up 38-33.
Warner tied it back up at 56 with 2:11 left in the game on a layup by Blaize Darling Jr. The Fire finished strong, outscoring the Royals 7-3 in the remaining two minutes, finishing out the game with a converted and-one from Reggie Mesidor who had nine points on the night.
The Fire return to action this upcoming Saturday, February 3 as they take on the first place in conference Ave Maria Gyrenes. The game will tip off from the Furnace at 4 p.m.
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