THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The Thomas University Men's basketball team will have a busy weekend ahead, as the Night Hawks will play three contests in four days.  The Green & White will head north to Waleska, Ga. to partake in Reinhardt University's Thanksgiving Classic Friday and Saturday against William Carey and Mobile, respectively, before heading over to Montgomery, Ala. on Monday for its first game of its regular season series against RV Faulkner University.
 
The Night Hawks (5-4, 1-2 SUN) are back on the road after completing a five-game home stand.  Thomas will look to rebound in non-conference play after seeing its recent pair of contests slip away due to late scoring spurts from its opponents.  The Green & White erased a 15-point deficit against Ave Maria before the Gyrenes ran away with the game through free throws.  Against RV Southeastern, TU kept the scoring difference to single-digits before the Fire put together a quick scoring run in the final five minutes of the contest.
 
Despite its latest struggles, Thomas enters the Thanksgiving Classic with improved ball control, limiting its turnover count to under 12 a game.
 
Heading into the weekend, Senior Guard Tim Williamson now leads the team in both Points per Game (12.1) and Rebounds per Game (4.4) after averaging 16.7 points the previous week coming off the bench.  Fifth-year DeSean Enzor was another silver lining for the Night Hawks, shooting 11-for-18 (.611) from the floor against conference opponents.
 
William Carey (11/26)
While the Crusaders (3-2, 1-1 SSAC) also come off a weekend of conference play, the team most recently fell to South Alabama 96-53 in Exhibition play Monday night.  WCU enters the RU Classic averaging 67.4 points a game while holding a defensive average of under 64 points.  The Crusaders will look to improve an offense that averaged 39.4% from the field in its previous three contests.
 
Similar to the Night Hawks, William Carey has shot fairly well from the field (.447), but struggles to convert from long-range (.274).
 
While Dajon Whitworth statistically holds the team's best point average (14.0), Arturro Bingham has carried a chunk of the offensive workload, averaging 13 points a game while shooting 67.6% from the court.  Veteran Emile Kazeneza is the Crusaders' boards leader with over seven rebounds a contest, in addition to being a defensive opportunist with 1.4 steals a game.
 
Friday evening's contest will mark just the second time Thomas and William Carey square off, as the Crusaders hung on last Thanksgiving weekend for a 73-69 win.
 
Tipoff at James & Sis Brown Athletic Center is slated for 5 p.m.
 
Mobile (11/27)
The Rams (4-4, 0-1 SSAC) carry some striking similarities to the Night Hawks this season, as both teams average just over 29 boards a game and under 13 turnovers.  One aspect of Mobile that shows a strong contrast to Thomas, however, is its ability to score at will: the Rams nearly average 76 points a game, shooting just under 50% from the field and 34.5% from outside the perimeter.  
 
While UM's 3-point percentage has been strong on the season, the Rams struggled in its latest contests from outside the arch, averaging 23.5%.  The low mark was just enough for the team to squeeze by RV Dillard 68-66 before falling to SSAC rival RV Faulkner by one point (78-77).
 
Mobile heads into the weekend boasting six players that average double-digits in scoring.  Currently, Logan Foutz, Gary Jefferson, and Joshua Williams have primarily split the offensive spark for the Rams, all averaging over 14 points a game.  Jefferson and Williams, along with Damariee Jones, have all grabbed more than four boards per contest despite the team's low average.
 
Saturday's contest against Mobile will be Thomas' first-ever meeting against the Rams, as tipoff at James & Sis Brown Athletic Center is scheduled for 3 p.m.
 
RV Faulkner (11/29)
After the Thanksgiving classic, the Night Hawks will have a day's break before its match against the Eagles (8-1, 1-0 SSAC).  FLK's red-hot offense will await the Green & White as the Eagles finished this week averaging 80 points a contest after hosting the school's annual Battle at the Beach.  Faulkner's defensive efforts were as equally impressive, limiting its opponents to an overall 65-point average.
 
Overall on the season, Faulkner boasts a 10.2 scoring margin that includes a 44.1% field percentage and a 39.9% conversion rate from downtown.  The Eagles' 9.2 Made 3-Ptrs. average is currently a 40th-best mark in NAIA.
 
C.J. Hines has been in a groove this season, leading the Eagles in scoring average (19.1) while also picking up 6.5 boards a contest.  Faulkner also holds a pair of snipers on its squad, as Jalon Perry and Daniel Garmendia respectively average 52.6% and 58.3% from outside the perimeter.  Isaiah Brooks (7.2 rebounds a game) leads a Faulkner squad that averages over 41 boards a contest.
 
The Night Hawks have still yet to win its first game over Faulkner, as the Eagles lead the overall series 4-0.  In the previous meeting, Thomas kept up with FLK in barnburner fashion, but late free-throws gave the Eagles an extra edge for a 94-88 win.
 
Tipoff at Tine W. Davis Gymnasium is set for 8 p.m.
 
Live Coverage
Stay tuned for announcements through TU Athletics on how to access this weekend's contests at Reinhardt.  Check back with us at tunighthawks.com for the latest details
 
TU @ RV FLK
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