MARIETTA, Ga. – The Thomas University Men's basketball team had plenty of chances to put away the Life University Running Eagles early, but the Night Hawks could not overcome its stalled start to the second half, as TU was defeated 87-79 by Life Friday night at the Eagles' Nest.
 
Thomas (1-1) saw some impressive individual showings from the floor.  Senior Justin Figueroa went 10-for-12 from the field, posting a career-high 23 points.  Senior Jordan Booker recorded 17 points with five boards and six assists while fifth-year DeSean Enzor matched his number in scoring while going 6-for-11 from the field.
 
Life (1-0) began the contest pressing the Night Hawks and jumping out to a 5-0 lead before Thomas began to gain breathing room on the court.  Not to long after TU found a stride, the Green & White quickly found a way to close the scoring gap, as the majority of the first half saw both teams frequently exchanging baskets.
 
With the Night Hawks holding its largest lead of the night (36-27) late in the first half, the Running Eagles went on a 9-0 scoring surge that lasted two minutes and fifteen seconds to even the contest at 36 with 1:28 left.  After both teams exchanged a turnover, Sophomore Deonta Jones converted on a go-ahead jumper to give the lead back to the Night Hawks with 49 seconds remaining.  Life would draw a shooting foul on its next possession after grabbing second and third chances from offensive boards, converting 1-for-2 on the set before Senior Toriano Lewis hit a buzzer-beating 3-ptr. to give Thomas a 41-37 lead heading into the locker room.
 
Unfortunately for the Night Hawks, the team did not begin the second half with the same firepower it had at the end of the first half, as Life cashed in on a 14-4 scoring run in the first 4:25, giving the Running Eagles a 51-45 lead that they would hold on to for the remainder of the contest.
 
After Life hit a 3-Ptr. that gave the team its largest lead of the night (77-64), the Running Eagles began to play in cruise control.  Thomas took the opportunity to swiftly add a few good layups to the score line via long ball passes that cut the deficit to nine (77-68) at the 2:33 mark.
 
A TU layup and a pair of good free throws from Life kept the scoring difference in single digits, but after a missed 3-pt. attempt from Life, TU drew a foul to send Enzor to the charity stripe for the one-and-one, but the Tallahassee, Fla. failed to connect on the first free throw, as the Running Eagles picked up the defensive rebound and scored to put its lead back to double-digits (81-70) with 1:23 remaining in the game.
 
Even as they trailed 84-74 into the final minute, the Night Hawks continued to fight back and play aggressive, as Graduate Reggie Wright picked up a crucial steal that led to Life picking up a foul after Booker came in for the offensive board and shot attempt.  The Powder Springs, Ga. native went 1-for-2 on the free throw set to bring the contest back to nine points with 25 seconds on the game clock.
 
The Night Hawks drew a foul on the next possession, in which Life missed both free throws, setting up a last-chance effort to continue a comeback attempt in the final seconds before the inbound pass from Wright sailed over the outstretched arms of Enzor and tipped away by a Life guard (no pun intended) for a Running Eagles' steal and dunk score to solidify its victory.
 
Despite the scoring result, Thomas was exceptional from the field, outshooting Life 55.2% to 47.6% from the floor overall.  TU continued to struggle from long-range, finishing 3-for-12 on the night while also converting only 60% of its free throws.  Defensively, the Night Hawks limited the Running Eagles to under 26% from long range.
 
TU by the Numbers
3:          Players scoring Double-Digits
7:          Team Steals
8:          Lead Changes
9:          Team Assists
12:        Forced Turnovers
20:        Double-Digit Scoring Games for Jordan Booker at TU
79:        Points Scored
100:      Victor Tshiona's Field and Free-Throw Percentages
 
Thomas will finish the Running Eagles' Classic on Saturday with a non-conference showdown against Dalton State at Noon.
 
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