THOMASVILLE, Ga. - Thomas resumes Sun Conference (TSC) play Thursday against Florida Memorial, the first of three-straight league games inside TU Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
In addition to live stats, the match will be televised online through Night Hawks Television. Updates will also be available on Thomas' official men's basketball Twitter account (@NightHawksMBKB).
Thursday's game is sponsored by 1st Franklin Financial. With 308 loan offices in six states, 1st Franklin Financial continues to provide personal loans, supplying its customers with the cash they need.
Prior to the game, Thomas fans ages 16 or older can pick up a free raffle ticket for a 3-point shootout, sponsored by the Thomas Student Life and Campus Activities Board, to be held at halftime. At the start of halftime, two names will be drawn on the court and announced to determine the participants. The winner of the contest will receive a $30 gift card to Barberitos, while the runner-up will receive a $15 gift card to Barberitos.
Game 9/Florida Memorial (3-2, 0-1 TSC) at Thomas (3-5, 0-2 TSC)
Thursday, Nov. 30 • 7:30 p.m. ET
Thomasville, Ga. • TU Gymnasium
TV: Night Hawks Television
Live Stats:Â TUNightHawks.com
Twitter Updates: @NightHawksMBKB
Series History:Â Thomas leads 5-3 (Thomas won last game)
Record at Thomas:Â 3-1
Record at Florida Memorial:Â 2-2
Record at Neutral Site:Â 0-0
Coach Brent Crews vs. Florida Memorial: 2-2
ABOUT THOMAS
The Night Hawks are coming off a 78-74 loss at Life (Ga.), ranked No. 9 in NAIA Division I, on Sunday in non-conference action.
The two teams split a pair of matchups this year after the Night Hawks won 83-74 on Nov. 1 inside TU Gymnasium.
Life scored the first 13 points Sunday in a 6:18 span before Thomas countered by scoring the next six, with five coming fromÂ
Jerodd Blount. The Night Hawks closed within five points, 15-10, midway through the period following consecutive offensive rebounds and putbacks byÂ
Jalen Bonds.Â
The Running Eagles led by as many as 15 in the first half after a Zach Landis steal and finish at the 7:27 mark before Crews' squad responded with an 8-0 spurt, ending with back-to-back 3s byÂ
Jakari Bush andÂ
JaVoris Cooks.Â
Eric Johnson scored the final five points of the period for Thomas, but Life led 34-23 at intermission.
The Night Hawks shot 45.2 percent (14-of-31) from the floor and 18-of-22 from the free throw line in the final 20 minutes, allowing them to tie the game with 51 seconds to play after trailing by as many as 22 at the 14:43 mark. Thomas dominated a span of the period that covered 13:08, outscoring Life 39-17. During the stretch, the Green and White shot 14-of-15 from the line.Â
Keion Peoples scored eight-straight Night Hawk points, as his made free throw tied the affair at 71.
Undra Mitchem scored five-straight Running Eagle points to put his team ahead 76-71 before Cooks canned a trey to close the gap within two with seven seconds left. However, Michael Mitchell hit two free throws in the final three seconds to seal the Life's sixth-straight win.
Peoples ended with a career-high 17 points off the bench, sparking four players in double figures. Cooks followed up with 15 points. Blount and Johnson came off the bench to register 11 and 10 points, respectively. The four players combined to shoot 25-of-32 from the stripe. Blount also had four steals.Â
Bonds andÂ
Johnnel Ginnie each scored eight points. Bonds was 4-of-7 from the floor to go along with seven boards.
Thomas shot 37 percent (20-of-54) from the field and got a season-high 46 points from its reserves.
Each team was 45 percent (9-of-20) from 3-point range.
ABOUT FLORIDA MEMORIAL
The Lions are coming off a 66-64 exhibition loss at Rollins (Fla.), a NCAA Division II member, on Nov. 22.
Travis Mitchell led Florida Memorial with 16 points and eight rebounds. Evens Jacques scored 11, and Davon Williams chipped in nine points.
The Tars led 35-27 at intermission, but Florida Memorial would not go away quietly and came back to take the lead at 43-42 with 13:01 to play. The lead would then change hands seven more times over the next four minutes with back-to-back buckets putting the Tars up 56-52 at the 8:15 mark.
Rollins could not pull away, and Florida Memorial used a 7-0 run to take a 62-60 advantage with two minutes left. The Tars knotted the score at 62 with 1:01 and then took a two-point lead on a tip-in 24 seconds later. After a key stop, Rollins scored two at the free throw line.
The Lions got a bucket late, and the Tars missed the front end of a 1-and-1 to give the Lions possession with four seconds left. Jacques had a look at a 3-pointer but iwas off the mark.
Florida Memorial shot 45 percent, going 26-of-58 but struggled beyond the arc, hitting just 6-of-23.Â
The Lions rank second in NAIA Division II in offensive rebounds per game (16.0), fourth in scoring defense per game (65.8), seventh in field goal percentage (0.384) and 10th in rebounds per game (45.6).
Williams ranks 18th nationally in free throw percentage (0.889). Roody Romain is 44th in blocks per game (1.2).
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE LIONS
Thomas defeated No. 23 Florida Memorial, 65-56, on Feb. 4, 2017, inside TU Gymnasium. The Night Hawks never trailed in the game.
Katrell Myers led all scorers with 18 points, while Cooks added 15 points. Willie Holloway provided his fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds and added three blocks.
The Night Hawks held the Lions scoreless for nearly the first eight minutes of the game. Cooks gave the Night Hawks a 16-9 lead with eight minutes remaining in the first half. Thomas later went on a 5-0 run and took a 24-16 lead. The Night Hawks ended the half on a 7-2 run and led 31-20 at the break, their largest lead of the game.
The Lions opened the second half on a 13-3 run and cut the Thomas lead to 34-33. The Night Hawks responded with a 9-1 run and extended the lead to 43-34. Aaron Bryant converted two free throws for Florida Memorial and brought the game within a possession at 48-45.
The Night Hawks answered with on an 8-1 run and took a double-digit lead at 56-46. The Lions went on a 7-0 run and cut the lead to 56-53 with two minutes to play, but Thomas closed the game on a 9-3 run.
TIP-INS
- Cooks averaged 16.5 points in two games against the Lions last season.
- Thursday's contest is the first of three-straight inside TU Gymnasium but the first home game for the Green and White in 29 days.
- In its first two home games, Thomas has averaged 84.5 points and won by an average of 15.0 points.
- The Night Hawks have won five of their last six home games.
- Thomas ranks 37th in NAIA Division II in 3-pointers made per game (9.3) and 3-point field goal percentage (0.381).
- Cooks ranks fifth in NAIA Division II in 3-point field goals made per game (3.8). Holloway is 45th in offensive rebounds per game (2.7).
- Thomas is 3-0 this season when scoring 83 points or more.
- The Night Hawks are 3-1 when Ginnie scores 17 or more points.
- 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 1,101Â career points.
- Cooks' 15 3-point attempts on Nov. 11 against Talladega (Ala.) are the most by any TSC player in a game this season.
- Thomas faces three ranked opponents - No. 11 Southeastern (Fla.), No. 22 Saint Thomas (Fla.) and No. 24 Warner (Fla.) - and one that is receiving votes - Keiser (Fla.) - in the latest NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25. The Night Hawks lost at Keiser on Nov. 16.
- Thomas' Demetrius Rivers is redshirting this season and will have four seasons of eligibility remaining.
