THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The Thomas University women's basketball team went on a 10-0 run to gain a late 56-54 lead on Wednesday night in Thomasville, but the late rally ultimately fells short as the Lady Night Hawks (4-4) fell 61-56 to Middle Georgia State University (3-5).
 
"When championship teams step on the floor, they're focused on the task at hand for 40 minutes," head coach Coretta Brown said of her team's loss. "We need to learn to leave whatever else is going on off the court there and focus.  We need to grow in that area."
 
A three-pointer from Tascianna Taylor appeared to all but put TU away late in the game, but a stout Lady Night Hawks press allowed the team to battle back into the game.  Bra'shey Ali, who finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds for her seventh double-double in eight games, stole a pass and converted a lay-up to tie the game at 54.
 
Just moments later, Laura Cherranfant stepped in front of a pass at midcourt and dished to Ali, who promptly drove and dished to Bria Joyner-Williams for the go-ahead basket.
 
"The press was good for us," Brown continued. "We might should've gone to it a little earlier, but playing three games in one week is hard.  We got some good stuff out of it, but we also gave up some easy buckets too."
 
Down three with under a minute remaining the game turned controversial, as the referees appeared to miss an apparent punch that was thrown by an MGSU player.  Instead, TU was charged with an intentional foul, allowing the Lady Knights to ice the game away at the free throw line.
 
"From what I saw, our player went for the ball," Brown said, opting to not comment on the officiating. "What the refs say, goes."
 
Ali, who is Thomas' leading scorer so far this season, appeared to land awkwardly on her foot on a late drive, forcing her to momentarily leave the contest.  Brown added that "she'll be fine" for TU's upcoming game on Saturday.
 
Rayven Thomas finished the game with 13 points and 11 boards.  Joyner-Williams, who got in early foul trouble and was forced to miss the majority of the second quarter, added seven points, while Shaunice Bennett and Cherranfant added six and five points, respectively.
 
The Lady Night Hawks will need to quickly erase the defeat from memory, as a 5-1 Ave Maria team, who is receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches Poll, will come to Thomasville on Dec. 5 for TU's first Sun Conference game.
 
"We're going to go back, watch film and talk about some things we did well," Brown concluded. "We'll also talk about some things we need to improve on, like coming into the game and being ready to focus in for 40 minutes."
 
Tipoff versus the Lady Gyrenes is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday at TU Gymnasium.
 
By the Numbers:
2 – Lady Night Hawks in double figures in scoring
3 – Days until Thomas faces Ave Maria University
14 – Game high total of rebounds by Bra'shey Ali
17 – Points scored by TU's scoring leader Bra'shey Ali
24 – Turnovers by Lady Night Hawks
40 – Total rebounds by the Lady Night Hawks
56 – Points scored by Thomas
 
For up-to-date information on this game and other TU Athletics, visit http://www.TUNightHawks.com. Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, play-by-play, and feature stories of your TU women's basketball team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksWBKB.