THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The Thomas University Men's basketball team is back on the road this weekend, travelling to Marietta, Ga. for the annual Running Eagles Classic hosted by Life University.
 
The Night Hawks were rusty in Tuesday night's season opener, falling 68-54 to the Brewton-Parker Barons that would have counted as a loss for TU.  Less than 12 hours after the conclusion of that contest, an investigation found that BPC used an ineligible player, thereby giving the Green & White a forfeit win and a clean slate heading into this weekend's classic.
 
Thomas will look to vastly improve on its performance in Mount Vernon, Ga., as the team finished its last outing shooting 15.4% from long range and 34.4% overall from the field.  One bright spot for the Night Hawks was the play of Senior Toriano Lewis, converting on three of TU's four total 3-Ptrs. in an 11-point night for the Richmond, Va. native.  Senior Tim Williamson also tallied 11 points Tuesday night while picking up two steals.
 
TU @ LIFE (10/29)
The Night Hawks approach Friday's night contest with unfinished business against host Life University, falling 88-70 to the Running Eagles one year ago.  Life returns scoring threat Jordan Hernandez, who averaged 11.5 points and 1.5 steals a game while shooting over 36% from outside the arc last season.  The Running Eagles will have plenty of players that will look to fill the big holes left by lsaiah Hart and James Moore, who both combined for 42 of Life's points against Thomas in the team's last meeting.
 
In addition to Hernandez, Life also returns Trey Kelly and Lorenzo Ferrell, two of Life's top board-grabbers that had the Running Eagles finishing third in NAIA in Offensive Rebounds average (15.05), which will prove to be a challenge for Thomas as Brewton-Parker grabbed 43 boards earlier in the week.
 
While Offensive Boards are a specialty for the Running Eagles, it was not enough to provide the success Life anticipated, finishing the 2020-21 season 9-11 after starting off with four, straight wins.
 
Thomas will look to snap Life's four-game hold over the Night Hawks, as the Running Eagles lead the overall series 4-1 that dates back to November 2017.
 
Tipoff at the Eagles' Nest is set for 7 p.m.  Fans can follow this contest by accessing the links below:
 
Live Stats
 
Live Video
 
TU vs. DS @LIFE (10/30)
Saturday's match against Dalton State will mark the first-ever match between both teams.  The Night Hawks were initially scheduled to play the Roadrunners (1-0) last season at the Running Eagles Classic, but COVID precautions forced DS to pull out of the invitational at the last minute.
 
The Silver & Navy enter the weekend coming off a 75-66 win over Fisk Tuesday.  In that contest, the Roadrunners boasted three players scoring 12 or more points.  Rodley Adjei posted 24 points going 6-for-7 inside the arc after only playing one game last season.  Franklin Almonte came off the bench to notch a double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds) with five blocks.  The glaring Achilles' heel from its win was shots from the free throw line: Dalton State converted 58.3% from the charity stripe.
 
While Life is known for its offensive boards, Dalton State loves to take defensive rebounds, finishing sixth in the nation last season with 30.28 boards a game.
 
Tipoff at the Eagles' Nest is scheduled for Noon.  Links to follow the live action are listed below:
 
Live Stats
 
Live Video
 
For up-to-date information on games 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.