AVE MARIA, Fla. – With an 82-68 victory this afternoon over Ave Maria, the Thomas University men's basketball team split the season series against the Gyrenes to pick up their second Sun Conference win of the season.
 
Ave Maria started out strong opening the game with an 8-2 run until a dead ball media timeout huddle and conversation between head coach Brent Crews and his squad calmed down the Night Hawks and refocused their game plan.  While the Gyrenes pushed their advantage to a first half height of nine, 18-9, the Night Hawks battled back to take the 25-24 advantage on a jumper from downtown by Javoris Cooks.  The sophomore guard, who led Thomas with 17 points on the day, hit another three 35 seconds later on Thomas' next trip down the court to push the gap to 28-26 with 4:11 left in the half.
 
Thomas would close the first half on an 11-5 run to head into the intermission with the 39-31 advantage.
 
The second half was a story of domination and a collective effort of team play by the Night Hawks.  Thomas' shooters had several open looks at the net and conversely drained 57-percent of its shots from the field during the second half compared to its first half mark of 47-percent.
 
For the effort, the Night Hawks pushed their lead into double digits and never looked back.  Down the stretch, the Hunter Green and White outscored Ave Maria 43-37 to close out the game with the 82-68 win.
 
The Night Hawks (8-12, 2-5 TSC) return to action on Monday, Jan. 25 when they return to the TU Gymnasium and host Warner University in Sun Conference action. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
 
By the Numbers:
2 – Days until Thomas faces Warner University
3 – Night Hawks in double figures in scoring
7 – Game high total of rebounds by
8 – Total turnovers by Night Hawks
17 – Points scored by TU's scoring leader Javoris Cooks
32 – Total rebounds by the Night Hawks
82 – 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 men's basketball team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksMBKB.