LAKE WALES, Fla. – It took overtime to do so, but the Thomas University men's basketball upset its third Top 25 team of the season tonight on the road defeating Sun Conference foe and No. 24 Warner University 87-81.
 
Earlier this season, the Night Hawks ended then undefeated and No. 2 ranked Embry-Riddle's pursuit of perfection, and, two days later, upset No. 20 Northwood (Fla.).
 
The Royals led from the game's start opening up with an 8-2 run (16:53-1st).  The Night Hawks would power back on a 12-0 run to take their first of three leads of the game.  Over the next four minutes of play, Thomas continued to connect on the offensive floor increasing their lead to 14, 32-18, at its height with 3:32 remaining until break.  In the closing minutes of the half, the Royals narrowed the gap by ten to send the Hunter Green and White into intermission with the 39-35 lead.
 
Warner won the second half of play, mirroring the same 39-35 scoring output that Thomas had accumulated in the first half.  This scoring advantage forced overtime when Warner's Keevis Tukes hit a three-point, buzzer beating shot to end regulation tied at 74.
 
In the extra frame, the Night Hawks went 4-for-6 from the field, 1-for-2 from behind the arch, and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.  This shooting accuracy led to their 87-81 victory over Warner when time expired.
 
The Night Hawks had five players in double figures for the evening.  Senior guard Max Grace led Thomas with 22 points and finished just two rebounds shy of a double-double.  The Southside, Ala., native also collected two steals and dished out two assists.  Marcus Humose, Adonai Rogers, and Alan Love all had 15 points in the contest while Rodney Sturkie added 13. 
 
Thomas out rebounded the Royals 39-25 and outscored their bench 39-11. 
 
"I'm happy for the guys on picking up this road win," remarked head coach Stephen Cox. "We won the rebounding battle, which is something we haven't done in a while. When you mix solid defense with 15 assists on 31 baskets, then couple it with shooting 60 percent from the field--I like our chances versus most teams. We're back at home in front of our fans Saturday at 3 p.m. Be there!"
 
Thomas improves to 15-7, 6-6 in TSC play, while No. 24 Warner drop to 16-6, 6-6 on the year.  With this victory, the Night Hawks avenge their 81-70 loss in Thomasville on Jan. 10.
 
The Night Hawks return to action on Saturday, Feb. 7 when they host Sun Conference rival Webber International University in their annual Pink Out game.  Thomas University student-athletes, coaches, and staff will be dressed in pink attire and encourage all spectators to do so as well.  Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m.

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 men's basketball team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksMBKB.