MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Thomas University Men's basketball appeared to be on track to pull off a serious post-Thanksgiving upset, establishing a lead as large as 13 in the waning minutes of the first half before the Night Hawks' defense crumbled in the second half, making way for a 22-point turnaround by RV Faulkner as the Eagles were bailed out for the second, straight year with an 84-75 win at Tine W. Davis Gymnasium Monday night.
 
The offense had a strong showing on the night, as Thomas (6-6, 1-2 SUN) shot over 48% from the field and hit a new season-high in 3-Pt. Percentage (44.4%).  Defensively, however, TU also hit a season-high, allowing FLK (9-1, 1-0 SSAC) to convert 55% of shots from the court.
 
Senior Guard Tim Williamson came away with 18 points on the night, along with three steals and two assists.  Graduate Guard Reggie Wright tallied his second-highest point total (13) of the season while tacking on five boards and two steals.
 
After Faulkner's Isaiah Brooks made the contest's first basket in the first minute, Thomas responded with a 10-0 scoring run before the Eagles began to play catch up.  With the Blue, Black & White hitting consecutive baskets to cut the score to 19-15 in favor of TU with 9:15 left in the first half, Wright fueled another Night Hawks' scoring run (11-2) that nearly saw the Mars Hill transfer single-handedly accumulate all the points in a 3:09 span, giving the Green & White its first, double-digit lead at 30-17, TU's largest lead of the game.
 
Following a good trey from Senior Guard Trint Bryant that gave TU a 40-29 at the 1:59 mark, the Eagles ended the first half with momentum, responding with seven, unanswered points to only give Thomas a four-point lead (40-36) heading into the locker room.
 
The Eagles continued on its late first-half momentum, spending nearly the first six minutes of the second half building a 13-4 run to retake a lead the team would not relinquish for the rest of the night.
 
Down by ten (62-52) with 9:32 remaining in the contest, Williamson and Fifth-year Forward Victor Tshiona put together an 8-2 run for Thomas that got the Night Hawks to within four points of the Eagles at the 8:13 mark.
 
Both teams exchanged baskets heading into the final four minutes, but two missed free throws from Thomas with 3:32 left led the Eagles to ice the game and claim its fifth, overall win over the Night Hawks.
 
TU by the Numbers
3:        Players scoring double digits
6:        Players that shot 50% or better
8:        3-Ptrs. Made
13:      Largest Lead
26:      Total Field Goals Made
33:      Bench Points
75:      Points Scored
 
The Night Hawks are back on the court Thursday as the team faces SUN Conference foe Florida Memorial.  Tipoff at the Wellness Center is scheduled for 8 p.m.
 
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