THOMASVILLE, Ga. - Thomas begins the second half of its Sun Conference (TSC) schedule Thursday inside TU Gymnasium against Johnson & Wales (Fla.) at 5:30 p.m. ET.

In addition to live stats, the contest will be televised online through Night Hawks Television. Updates will also be available on Thomas' official women's basketball Twitter account (@NightHawksWBKB).

Thursday's game is sponsored by Hughston Clinic, located in Thomasville.

The F.I.R.M. Dance Co., out of Cairo, Ga., will perform at halftime.

ABOUT THOMAS

The Night Hawks are coming off a 78-57 loss at Coastal Georgia on Jan. 13 in conference action. 

Thomas' Kriza Allen recorded her first-career double-double, finishing with 17 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, both teams highs in the contest. She was 8-of-16 shooting.

De'Audra Copeland chipped in 10 points for Thomas. Jewel Montisano had six points and a career-high five steals. Dymon Brown pulled down seven rebounds. Arianna Anderson came away with three steals.

Coastal Georgia shot 41.9 percent (26-of-62) overall but 50 percent (6-of-12) from 3 in the first 20 minutes to stake to a 37-26 edge at intermission.

The Night Hawks shot 31.2 percent (24-of-77) from the floor and held an edge in points in the paint (30-24) and second chance points (20-10).

A Copeland layup at the 6:18 mark of the first quarter gave her team a 6-5 lead, but a Mariner bucket from deep on the next trip down the court put the home team up for good. The Mariners led 22-16 at the end of the first period.

Trailing by 14 heading into the final 10 minutes of play, Thomas scored the first five points of the fourth quarter on a Montisano 3-pointer and Allen layup, cutting the deficit to 59-50. However, the Night Hawks would get no closer.

The Wildcats are coming off a 71-64 win at Webber International (Fla.) on Jan. 13, their third-straight victory against a league opponent.

Three Wildcats scored in double figures, led by Diamond Williams' 24 points. She shot 6-of-12 from the floor and was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line for her ninth 20-point game of the season. Williams also led the team with 12 rebounds for her second-straight double-double. Joining Williams in double-digit scoring were JoNae Gonzales (12 points) and Tianna Ayulo (11 points). Gonzales registered a team-high six assists. Ayulo grabbed nine rebounds.

The Wildcats finished 40.7 percent from the floor (22-of-54), draining seven treys. Johnson & Wales was consistent from the free throw line, making 20-of-25 attempts.

Johnson & Wales ranks 21st in NAIA Division II in offensive rebounds per game (14.7), 24th in steals per game (10.7) and 26th in free throw percentage (0.745).

Ayulo ranks 14th in the country in offensive rebounds per game (3.7). Williams is 17th in free throw percentage (0.842) and 22nd in steals per game (2.8). Gonzales ranks 22nd in assists per game (4.4).

LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE WILDCATS

Thomas won at Johnson & Wales, 83-64, on Nov. 18 in league play.

Allen and D. Brown each scored 20 points. 

Allen finished 9-of-12 from the floor to go along with three steals. D. Brown shot 8-of-13 overall, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Samantha Gilbert pumped in 12 points. Daycia Bandy contributed nine points and was perfect (3-of-3) from the floor. Montisano had eight points. Allen, Bandy and Copeland each grabbed six rebounds. Allen, Montisano and Copeland each dished out three assists, as Thomas totaled 16 on 31 made baskets.

The Night Hawks shot 56.4 percent (31-of-55) overall and 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from beyond the arc. 

Johnson & Wales (3-4, 0-2 TSC) led 14-11 at the end of the first quarter, but the Night Hawks used an 8-0 run late in the second quarter to take a 28-20 edge following an Allen steal that turned into a D. Brown fastbreak layup. Gilbert canned a trey as time expired in the half to give her team a 34-24 edge at intermission.

In the first 20 minutes, Thomas shot 50 percent from the field (14-of-28) and from beyond the arc (4-of-8) while limiting the Wildcats to just 24.2 percent (8-of-33) shooting and 6.7 percent (1-of-15) from 3.

Allen increased the edge to 12 1:18 into the third quarter on a layup. Johnson & Wales countered and cut its deficit to one possession, 45-42, following three Bevin Mays free throws at the 2:32 mark, but the Green and White upped its advantage back to seven, 54-47, after two Bandy free throws to close the frame.

Thomas poured it on in the final 10 minutes, outscoring the Wildcats 29-17. Montisano made four-straight free throws with 7:13 to go following technical fouls on Mays and Ayulo, and the Night Hawks led by double digits the rest of the way.

Mays tallied 22 points to lead all scorers and was 10-of-11 from the charity stripe. Williams added 16 points, including a 7-of-7 effort from the line, and three steals. Ayulo had 13 points and seven rebounds. Antranae Alvin recorded five steals.

Thomas outrebounded Johnson & Wales, 41-35, and limited the Wildcats to just 31.3 percent (20-of-64) shooting and 9.1 percent (2-of-22) from 3-point land. 

The home team was 22-of-26 from the free throw line.