THOMASVILLE, GA — The Thomas University women's basketball team pulled off the unexpected Thursday night, as the Night Hawks controlled their SUN Conference opener against Keiser University 59-43.
The upset win against Keiser (4-1, 0-1 SUN) will look to some as a surprise, as the Night Hawks entered the contest winless sitting at 0-3. Despite the underdog appearance, the Night Hawks controlled the contest throughout, outscoring the Skyhawk offense in every quarter of action.
Junior transfer Ta'Nija Watson became a floor general picking up a season-best nine assists to go alongside eight points in the Conference opener. Freshman guard Jaleigh Miller led the team in scoring shooting 4-9 from the field adding 14 points.
In the first quarter, Thomas jumped out to an early 15-11 lead as substitutes Jaleigh Miller and Alexis Boston ended the quarter on a quick 5-0 run.
The second quarter battle continued as both teams fought for control with eight lead changes in the first half alone. Keiser's team-leading scorer Angela Denis helped the team stay relevant in the first half, scoring five of her seven points at the start the second quarter with her final two points of the half providing Keiser's final lead of the contest at 16-15. Senior Dyani Sheppard drained a 3-ptr. directly after losing the lead, helping Thomas reclaim the lead 18-16.
To end the first half, the Night Hawks went on a 10-0 run holding the Seahawks scoreless for the final seven minutes of play extending the Thomas lead to double-digits at intermission, 28-18.
After both teams exchanged baskets to start the second half, Thomas slightly extended its lead by two, ending the quarter with a 12 point lead. Senior transfer Alexis Boston had her best defensive game yet in the Green and White, delivering a team-high 13 rebounds to go alongside three points and two assists.
Fourth quarter play saw Keiser narrow the lead to nine with four minutes to play, as Keiser guard Elliana Schaefer led all Seahawks with nine points off of the bench. The Night Hawks again found a way to respond finishing the contest on an 8-1 run, to finish the contest 59-43.
The overall team effort helped hold a blazing hot Seahawk team averaging 77 points per contest to a season-low 43 points. Keiser shot a poor 23.7% from the field as the Night Hawks stunned the Seahawks in the Sun Conference opener. Thomas shot an impressive 20-of-44 from the floor (45.5 percent) knocking down 50.0 percent from 3-point range (6-of-12) snapping a four-game loss streak against the Seahawks. With the win, the all-time record versus Keiser narrows to 11-7 and 6-4 all-time when played in the Rose City.
Up next, the Night Hawks have little time to recover, as the team will host the Knights from Middle Georgia on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tipoff. The non-conference showdown at TU Gymnasium will be streamed on the Sun Digital Network, below are the links to access the game files.
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