THOMASVILLE, GA — The Thomas University Women's basketball will look to get back on track this weekend, as the Night Hawks host a pair of SUN Conference matchups. First, TU will host Ave Maria on Thursday at 5 p.m. for NEON Day before #5 Southeastern visits the Rose City on Saturday for a 2 p.m. start.
The Night Hawks (1-4, 1-0 SUN) started off SUN Conference play against Keiser on a high note, beating the Seahawks 59-43 last week. After that, the Knights from Middle Georgia traveled to the Rose City delivering the Night Hawks their fourth loss of the season.
In that contest, Thomas started the game firing on all cylinders, as the Night Hawks racked up 40 first-half points in an impressive showing of both solid shooting and expert passing, producing 11 first half assists. The Night Hawks went to intermission leading 40-29.
Second-half play was a completely different story, as Thomas shot less than 22% from the field for an abysmal 13 points. Middle Georgia took full advantage of the misfiring TU offense, forcing 9 turnovers and scoring 34 points in the half. The Knights stole the contest in the fourth, winning by a scoreline of 53-43.
On Monday, in preparation for the SUN Conference matches, TU traveled to Boca Raton, Florida competing against DII opponent Lynn University in an exhibition match. The Fighting Knights impressively handled the Thomas attack limiting the Night Hawk offense to 45 points. Freshman Jaleigh Miller scored 14 to lead the way, but it wasn't enough, as Lynn University ran away with the 78-45 win.
TU vs. Ave Maria Nov. 18 @ 5:30 p.m.
The visiting Gyrenes will look to bounce back from a 2-5 overall start that saw the team from South Florida lose its first two Conference matches last weekend. Ave Maria first lost to Webber International in a weekday matchup 76-56 before losing to Southeastern 63-44 over the weekend.
The Gyrenes are led by a pair of Freshman guards, as Lavariah Armstead and Casey Humphrey average a combined 25 points per contest. The Gyrenes are be coached by Alex Moorehead in his first year at the helm.
TU vs. #5 Southeastern Nov. 20 @ 2 p.m.
On Saturday Thomas will have its toughest match to date, hosting the nationally ranked Fire from Southeastern. The reigning regular season and tournament champs from a year ago have yet to miss a beat, starting 5-1 overall and 1-0 in Conference play.
The Fire boast five separate players averaging double-digits, with Graduate Student Angela Perry averaging a team-best 16 points per game. Overall, the Fire outscore opponents by an average of 12 points per outing shooting an impressive 40% from behind the arc.
Both contests will be hosted at the TU Gymnasium.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Thursday's NEON DAY by showing up in their "loudest" clothes, and, thanks to a collaboration with Thomas University's Student Life, the first 30 students in attendance for Thursday's contest will receive a free Thomas University shirt.
Fans unable to attend can follow along with the contests by accessing the links below:
TU vs. Ave Maria @5:30 p.m.
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Live Stats
TU vs Southeastern @2 p.m.
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Live Stats
For up-to-date information on TU Athletics, visit http://www.TUNightHawks.com. Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, play-by-play, and feature stories of TU women's basketball follow them via Twitter at @NightHawksWBKB.
