Fallin's Barbeque Women's Basketball Postgame Report - Keiser

THOMASVILLE, Ga. - Samantha Gilbert scored a career-high 16 points for the Night Hawks, but a made 10-foot jumper with six seconds remaining lifted Keiser (Fla.) to a 59-58 Sun Conference (TSC) win over Thomas on Saturday afternoon inside TU Gymnasium. The Seahawks snapped a 15-game skid, while the Night Hawks fell to 4-4 at home this season.

"I saw our players executing on both ends of the court with a lot of confidence for most of the game, especially in the third quarter," Green and White coach Myron Brown said. "Keiser made a run in the fourth, and we battled to tie the game, but their player just made a big shot at the end, and that was the difference."

With Thomas (6-11, 2-9 TSC) trailing 57-54, Kriza Allen buried her second triple of the afternoon to tie the game. After an Arianna Anderson block of a Midori Long layup attempt, Alisha Clayton collected an offensive rebound of a missed 3-pointer and was fouled. Clayton converted the first of two free throws to put the Green and White ahead by a point with 15 seconds on the clock, but Donivan Dyson's 10th made basket inside the arc proved to be the game-winner. Following a Night Hawks timeout that advanced the ball to midcourt, an Allen jumper from just inside the top of the key rimmed in and out as time expired.

Dyson finished with 20 points on 10-of-24 shooting. Midori Long posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Long was 6-of-10 from the floor. Nikki Saunders added 11 points off the bench. 

Allen ended with 13 points, eight boards and five assists. Pkacia Johnson had 11 points on a 5-of-9 clip from the field. Dymon Brown netted nine points and was 4-of-8 shooting. Gilbert and Allen each tallied three steals. 

Alexis Moody had six points off the bench for the Night Hawks. Anderson grabbed six boards.

Keiser (5-17, 2-9 TSC) shot 46.4 percent (26-of-56) overall but just 2-of-8 from deep and 5-of-6 from the stripe. However, the Seahawks were 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from the floor after halftime.

Thomas shot 50 percent (14-of-28), including 41.7 percent (5-of-12) from beyond the arc, in the first 20 minutes to lead by six at the end of the first quarter and 33-30 at halftime. The Night Hawks held an edge in points in the paint (30-22), points off turnovers (16-15) and fastbreak points (10-6).

A 12-0 run early in the third quarter swelled the Night Hawks edge to 14, as two Jewel Montisano free throws made the score 48-34. The Seahawks went scoreless for six minutes but scored the final eight points of the period to trail by six at its end.

A Johnson triple stretched Thomas' edge back to six midway through the fourth quarter, but a 9-0 Keiser run followed, with Dyson giving her team a 57-54 upper hand with 2:01 showing. Both teams combined to go 0-of-3 from the floor with three turnovers over the next 1:06 before Allen's game-tying 3 with 55 seconds left.

Thomas continues TSC action at Saint Thomas (Fla.) on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 5:30 p.m. ET.