THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The Thomas University Men's basketball overcame a huge hurdle Saturday afternoon, keeping RV Faulkner at bay in the second half as TU's overall team play led to the Night Hawks' first-ever win over the Eagles, defeating the Blue, Black, and White 70-61 at TU Gymnasium.
 
The Green & White (7-8, 1-4 SUN) went toe-to-toe with Faulkner (9-3, 1-1 SSAC), shooting 42.1% from the floor overall that was primarily highlighted by the team's conversion rate from inside the arch (54.5%).  Both sides struggled from long range, as the Eagles shot just over 26% compared to the Night Hawks' 25%.  Thomas benefitted from a sizeable difference in free-throw attempts, as TU was 16-for-23 (69.6%) from the charity stripe versus Faulkner's rate, only knocking down 4-of-8 (50%) shots.  The Night Hawks evened the rebound count for the first time this season, splitting 35 boards apiece with FLK.
 
The rock was nearly distributed evenly Saturday afternoon, as Thomas saw eight different players registering points.  After missing the entire previous week, Fifth-year Forward DeSean Enzor returned to the court to lead the Night Hawks in points (13), shooting 62.5% from the field that included a second, made 3-ptr. on the season.  Senior Guards Tim Williamson and Trint Bryant posted identical stats; both players posted 12 points with five boards and shot 50% from the floor.
 
Faulkner implemented the long-range game plan to start the game, flying out to a 6-0 lead in the first minute and eight seconds.  After the Eagles hit both opening treys, Thomas responded by keeping Faulkner's offense silent for the next four minutes and change en route to a 9-0 scoring run that gave the Night Hawks its first lead of the day (9-6) at the 14:48 mark.
 
It was not long before the Eagles would see another scoring spark in their favor, responding with a 12-4 run that was topped off with a Jeremy Jordan dunk that gave FLK an 18-13 lead.  Just when the Eagles appeared to be building a lead with 10:46 in the half, momentum swung in the other direction as TU answered back with a 10-2 scoring run, capped off by a 3-ptr. from Senior Guard Toriano Lewis that gave the Night Hawks its second lead of the game (23-20).
 
Up by four (30-26) with 2:14 remaining in the first half, the Night Hawks missed a 3-ptr. to give the team a larger lead that resulted in a good basket for the Eagles on the transition.  On TU's ensuing possession, FLK's Jalon Perry capitalized on a steal and score play to tie the game at 30 apiece in the half's final minute.
 
On the next possession following the equalizing basket, Sophomore Guard Deonta Jones' pass to Senior Guard Jordan Booker was intercepted by C.J. Hines, giving Faulkner a chance to finish the half with a potential go-ahead score.  For Thomas, a second chance to add points in the final seconds came to fruition following an erred pass from Hines that went out-of-bounds.  The Night Hawks would take advantage of the opportunity, as Booker drove down the court for a go-ahead layup that gave the Green & White a 32-30 lead heading into the locker room.
 
Both sides exchanged treys to start the second half before Faulkner's Isaiah Brooks tied the game at 35, all within the first 77 seconds of new play.  Neither side would let up, continuing to exchange buckets.
 
With the game tied at 42 with 14:19 remaining, the Night Hawks nearly experienced déjà vu from its earlier meeting in Montgomery, Ala., as Faulkner scored seven, unanswered points to give the Eagles its largest lead of the contest in would appear to set up FLK for a blazing scoring run.  This time, however, Thomas would not give Faulkner that chance, battling back to ultimately tie the game at 50 before a good free-throw from Bryant retook the lead for the Night Hawks 51-50 at the 8:24 mark.
 
The game was far from over, as both sides spent the next three possessions matching each other basket for basket before Enzor's lone trey of the contest gave TU a lead they would not lose for the rest of the day.
 
After a Daniel Garmendia trey cut Thomas' lead 58-57, the Night Hawks began to build a late lead in emphatical fashion, doubling up on Hines to force and steal and dunk by Bryant with 4:45 remaining in the game.  Lewis would follow Bryant's dunk with another good 3-ptr. to extend the lead to six.  Thomas would ice the contest with five made free-throws that further pushed the lead into double-digits topped off with a Williamson basket before Garmendia's final trey of the day in the final minute would keep the contest difference to single digits, securing the 70-61 win for the Night Hawks.
 
TU by the Numbers
1:        Second-Half turnover
7:        Season Wins
8:        Players registering points
12:      Largest lead
13:      Offensive Rebounds (Highest Mark this season)
31:      Bench Points
61:      Points Allowed
70:      Points Scored
 
Thomas is back in action Friday, traveling up US-19 for an exhibition showdown against NCAA DII Albany State.  Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
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.