FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 5, 2015
 
Second-Half Surge Propels TU in TSC Opener
Jacob Dennis| Sports Information Intern | @jakeyd_8
 
THOMASVILLE, Ga. – After a disappointing home loss to Middle Georgia State on Dec. 2, the Thomas University women's basketball team needed a strong performance.  It seemed as though that might be a difficult proposition, as 5-1 Ave Maria rolled into Thomasville Saturday afternoon for both teams' Sun Conference opener.
 
The Lady Night Hawks, however, answered the challenge.
 
Bria Joyner-Williams posted 20 points and 13 rebounds, Shaunice Bennett added 15 more points, and Thomas earned a 68-56 win in TU Gymnasium.
 
"(Shaunice) Bennett and (Bria) Joyner-Williams, it's probably not fair to them, but that's what I'm used to from them by now," Coretta Brown said of her team's two leading scorers Saturday afternoon. "Bria has probably been with me the longest out of anyone in that locker room, Shaunice has been with me a while and they've been in the fight, so they know exactly what it takes."
 
The Lady Night Hawks seemed to be developing a dangerous habit of falling behind early in games, but the team put forth a complete, 40-minute effort in Saturday afternoon's win.
 
"I was pleased, but we still have some areas to improve in," Brown said of her team's fast start. "We still have to find a way to get some more production out of our bench, but we'll keep chipping away and build on that."
 
The winning performance was even more impressive for TU considering that Bra'shey Ali, the team's leading scorer entering the contest, was limited due to an injury suffered versus Middle Georgia State.  She played just 14 minutes, but managed to score six points and grab nine boards.
 
"Three games in one week and we've been doing a lot of traveling," Brown said of why Ali didn't receive many minutes in the first half. "I don't think I have a person in that locker room that is 100-percent healthy.  We have finals next week, so we'll take a couple days off and let them recuperate and be the "student" part of student-athlete, but then we're back at it."
 
Brown, despite her team's solid first half, still wasn't pleased entering the locker room facing a 28-23 deficit.  TU emphatically responded in the third quarter, however, scoring as many points in the 10 minute frame as the team did in the entire first half.
 
"It was just answering the challenge," Brown said of her team's third quarter surge. "The first half we did some good things, but that's not what I've been used to.  So it was just a reminder at halftime that 'Hey, we've got to get back to who we are.'"
 
Like any good coach would be, however, Brown wasn't completely pleased with the win.
 
"I wouldn't go that far," Brown said of the notion that Saturday's third quarter was her team's best of the season. "Like I said, we're still working.  We're not where we want to be, but I liked the fight and the will that I saw in the second half.  We just have to build on that."
 
The Lady Night Hawks will look to build on Saturday's performance in the team's next game on Dec. 14 versus Coastal Georgia.  TU has already defeated the Lady Mariners once, an 85-78 victory on Nov. 7 in Brunswick, Ga.
 
Tipoff at TU Gymnasium is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
 
By the Numbers:
2 – Lady Night Hawks in double figures in scoring
13 – Game high total of rebounds by Bria Joyner-Williams
14 – Days until Thomas faces Coastal Georgia
20 – Points scored by TU's scoring leader Bria Joyner-Williams
24 – Turnovers by Lady Night Hawks
50 – Total rebounds by the Lady Night Hawks
68 – 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.