THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The Thomas University Men's basketball team is set to make its annual trip to Miami Gardens, Fla. this weekend, as the Night Hawks take on Florida Memorial Thursday night before swinging by St. Thomas Saturday to face the Bobcats in a pair of SUN Conference matchups.
 
After TU (6-6, 1-2 SUN) began the season with a hot start, the Night Hawks have been subdued by its opponents, dropping four of its last five contests.  Despite its recent slide, Thomas has shown they can keep up with any team, regardless of said team's play.  In the last five games, the Green & White has had its ups and downs, from coming back and erasing double-digit deficits to leading by double-digits and seeing that margin vanish in the second half.  Against William Carey Friday, the Night Hawks battled back down 11 to go toe-to-toe with the Crusaders, only to be bested in the final minute to ultimately fall 63-60.  TU followed up its tough defeat that next day with the best defensive team performance in program history with a 65-41 win over Mobile.  In its latest match Monday (literally, as tipoff began at 9 p.m.), the Night Hawks had a 13-point lead over RV Faulkner before the Eagles flew back and won the contest 84-75.
 
Senior Guard Tim Williamson has seen a consistent trend in point production, as the Augusta, Ga. native now holds a six-game streak of scoring double digits heading into the weekend, leading TU on the season averaging 13 points and five boards.
 
Florida Memorial (12/2)
The Lions (5-4, 2-1 SUN) are off to its best start under fourth-year Head Coach Ansar Al-Ameen, entering the weekend winning two of its last three contests. The size of FMU has played a factor in its game plan, as the Blue & Orange carry seven players on the team's roster whose height is 6'7 or taller.  The height has paid off some dividends for the Lions, tallying 4.33 blocks a game (second-best in SUN) while nabbing nearly 43 boards on average.
 
From the field, while Florida Memorial may rank last in conversion rate (.380), the team has approximately taken as many shots from outside the perimeter as the Night Hawks (FMU's 249 to TU's 254).  The Lions hold the second-most Made 3-Ptrs. a game (8.3) in the conference.
 
FMU heads into Thursday's game averaging over 70 points a game, thanks to its scoring production led by transfers Corey Benton (14.3 points a game) and Brent Holcombe (13.4 points a game).  While only playing four games thus far in the 2021-22 season, veteran Mubashar Ali will look to be a force in the paint, as the Helsinki, Finland native is nearly averaging a double-double (10.5 points and 9.3 boards).
 
Thomas currently leads the overall series 11-5, winning seven of the previous nine contests.
 
Tipoff at the Wellness Center is scheduled for 8 p.m.  Fans can access live action of the game by following the links below:
 
Live Stats
 
Live Video
 
St. Thomas (12/4)
With the exception of its win over Florida National, the Bobcats (2-5, 0-3 SUN) have played in contests where the score has been decided by six or fewer points this season, both in countable and exhibition games.  While the win-loss record shows STU on a four-game skid, each of those contests saw the Burgundy & Navy defeated by one possession, or three or fewer points.  Of those four games, three teams were nationally ranked at the time.
 
The Bobcats have a few similarities to the Lions of Florida Memorial, as both teams can size up opponents in the paint and create second chances.  St. Thomas leads the conference in both boards (48) and blocks (6) a contest.
 
Other strengths STU holds this season include ability to score points (74.6 a game), overall defensive percentage from the floor (.393) and free throw percentage (.684).
 
As St. Thomas holds a number of good skills sets, the team also has a few weaknesses that have cost the Bobcats close contests.  While STU's defensive field percentage is stifling, its defense from the perimeter has been the opposite, allowing an average of one in three shots to be canned from downtown.  Additionally, ball control has become a new issue for the Bobcats this season, as they hold SUN's most turnovers in a game (19.0). 
 
The Night Hawks will need to keep a close eye on Jonas Parker, who heads into the weekend averaging 19.9 points a contest.  The University of Montevallo transfer is an overall balanced shooter, hitting over 44% of shots from the floor and 31% from long range.  While TU prepares for player scoring threats, the Night Hawks have not forgotten about Fifth-Year Dwayne Russell, who was primarily responsible for St. Thomas' sweep over the Green & White last season, averaging nearly 21 points in each meeting.  This season, Russell has limited his scoring to inside the arch, averaging 47% from the field with 11.1 points while leading the Bobcats in rebounds (8.4, a second-best mark in SUN).
 
TU will look to snap a five-game skid against STU, as the Night Hawks trail the overall series 13-5.
 
Tipoff at the Fernandez Family Center is slated for 4 p.m.  Fans can access live action of the game by following the links below:
 
Live Stats
 
Live Video
 
For up-to-date information on games and other TU Athletics, visit http://www.TUNightHawks.com. Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, play-by-play, and feature stories of your TU men's basketball team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksMBKB.