THOMASVILLE, Ga. - Thomas opens Sun Conference (TSC) play Thursday at Keiser (Fla.), which is receiving votes in the latest top 25 poll. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET
In addition to live stats, the match will be televised online through Stretch Internet. Updates will also be available on Thomas' official men's basketball Twitter account (@NightHawksMBKB).
Game 5/Thomas (3-2, 0-0 TSC) at RVÂ Keiser (2-0, 0-0 TSC)
Thursday, Nov. 16 • 7:30 p.m. ET
West Palm Beach, Fla. • Countess de Hoernle Student Life CenterÂ
TV:Â Stretch Internet
Live Stats: Stretch Internet
Twitter Updates: @NightHawksMBKB
Series History: Thomas trails 3-5 (Thomas won last 2)
Record at Thomas: 2-2
Record at Keiser: 1-3
Record at Neutral Site: 0-0
Coach Brent Crews vs. Keiser:Â 2-2
ABOUT THOMAS
The Night Hawks are coming off a 77-61 loss to Talladega (Ala.), a NAIA Division I member, on Nov. 11 in the Veteran's Day Classic, hosted by Faulkner (Ala.).Â
Thomas'Â
Javoris Cooks andÂ
Eric Johnson combined for 34 points, but Talladega (Ala.) shot 52 percent in the second half to pull away for the win.
A 10-0 run gave Thomas a 15-9 edge at the 12:44 mark of the first half following consecutive treys from Cooks and Johnson.
However, trailing 18-13, Talladega countered with an 11-1 run to grab a 24-19 edge with 8:18 to play in the period. Following a Cooks 3, the Tornadoes held Crews' squad scoreless for the final 3:22, as Thomas went 0-of-4 from behind the arc down the stretch and trailed 35-27 at intermission.
Cooks andÂ
Johnnel Ginnie opened the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers to bring the Green and White within two at 35-33. The two players scored the first 11 Night Hawk points of the frame, but a 9-0 Talladega run midway through the half stretched its margin to 52-38 at the 11:41 mark. Thomas trailed by double digits the rest of the way.
Cooks ended with 20 points, including six made treys, to go along with eight rebounds and five assists. Johnson netted 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-3 from deep and 4-of-6 from the line. Ginnie pumped in eight points, whileÂ
Willie Holloway tallied seven points and nine rebounds, including six on the offensive glass.
The Night Hawks made 11 (11-of-29) buckets from behind the arc and went 14-of-20 from the free throw line.
ABOUT KEISER
The Seahawks are coming off a 75-59 win at home over NCCAA member Johnson (Fla.) on Nov. 9.
Trystan Pratapas paced the offense for Keiser going 6-8 from the field, including 3-of-5 from distance, for 19 points.Â
Deion McClenton andÂ
Andrija Sarenac each finished with 12 points.Â
David Takam grabbed 13 rebounds.Â
After allowing the Suns to score the game's opening basket, the Seahawks responded with a 12-0 run to jump ahead with 16:02 left in the first half. Keiser maintained its lead over the Suns, extending it to 32-16 on a Pratapas 3-pointer at the 6:22 mark. The Seahawks outscored the Suns 17-11 down the stretch to extend their lead to 49-27 at halftime.
The Seahawks put together a 9-0 run early in the second half, capped off by aÂ
Micah Goss dunk, upping the margin to 28, their largest of the evening. The Suns immediately responded with an 11-0 run that lasted over four and a half minutes, bringing the score to 58-41 with 10:37 left to play in the second half. Johnson got as close as 10 points, 67-57, with 3:50 remaining, but the Seahawks scored eight of the game's final 10 points to seal the victory.Â
Keiser leads NAIA Division II in 3-point field goal percentage defense (0.216) and field goal percentage defense (0.328) and ranks third in defensive rebounds per game (37.0), sixth in rebounds per game (48.5), seventh in rebound margin (15.0), ninth in blocks per game (4.5), 10th in assists per game (20.0), 11th in free throw percentage (0.800), 12th in scoring defense per game (65.5), 17th in 3-pointers made per game (10.5) and 23rd in scoring margin (16.0).
Pratapas is second in field goal percentage (0.824), third in 3-point field goal percentage (0.818) and fourth in 3-pointers made per game (4.5). Takam is seventh in defensive rebounds per game (7.5). McClenton is seventh in rebounds per game (10.5) and ninth in blocks per game (2.0).
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE SEAHAWKS
Thomas won at No. 23 Keiser, 66-61, on Jan. 7, 2017, ending a three-game skid on Massimino Court.
Cooks and Traevon Gresham led the Night Hawks with 10 points apiece, while Holloway pulled in a team-best seven rebounds.
Cooks gave the Night Hawks their first lead of the game at 9-8 with a made jumper at the 15:40 mark of the first half. The basket started a 10-4 run for the Green and White.Â
Keiser later went on an 8-0 run and took a 30-24 lead with two and a half minutes left in the first half. Gresham gave the Night Hawks a 31-30 lead on a 3-pointer with a minute to play, and Thomas held a 35-33 lead at the break.
McClenton made a layup that slimmed Thomas' lead to 42-41, but the Night Hawks, who never trailed in the final 20 minutes, went on a 5-0 run and extended the lead back to seven at 56-49.
Ivan Tomic later converted a jumper and gave Thomas a 62-54 lead, it's largest of the game, with two and a half minutes remaining in the game.
The Night Hawks held the Seahawks to 33.8 percent (22-of-65) shooting from the field and 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from behind the 3-point line.
TIP-INS
- Thursday's game is the ninth in the series but first without Rollie Massimino on the Keiser bench after he passed away Aug. 30 from lung cancer. Massimino, who coached a total of 41 seasons and led Villanova to the 1985 NCAA title after an upset of top-seed Georgetown, won 481 games at NCAA Division I schools and another 332 at smaller colleges, including 298 in 11 seasons at Keiser.
- Cooks averaged 18.5 points in two wins against the Seahawks last season.
- Thomas ranks 27th in NAIA Division II in field goal percentage defense (0.408),35th in treys made per game (9.6) and 41st in 3-point field goal percentage (0.384).
- Cooks ranks 13th in 3-pointers made per game (3.6). Holloway is 23rd in offensive rebounds per game (3.5) and 28th in blocks per game (1.5). Ginnie is 45th in field goal percentage (0.596).
- Thomas is 1-3 in TSC openers, all at home.
- In the Oct. 27 season-opener at Point (Ga.), Cooks moved past former teammate Adanoi Rogers at the 16:47 mark of the first half on a trey to become the school's all-time leading scorer.
- Also on Oct. 27, Cooks became the program's first member of the 1,000-point club following two made free throws with 1:13 left in the second half. He now has 1,060Â career points.
- Cooks' 15 3-point attempts on Nov. 11 against Talladega are the most by any TSC player in a game this season.
- Thomas faces three ranked opponents - No. 14 Florida Memorial, No. 20 Saint Thomas (Fla.), No. 25 Warner (Fla.) - and two that are receiving votes - Keiser (Fla.), Southeastern (Fla.) - in the 2017-18 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25.
- Thomas' Demetrius Rivers is redshirting this season and will have four seasons of eligibility remaining.
