MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Thomas University Men's basketball found themselves trailing by double-digits once more and staged a surging, second-half comeback, but once again the Night Hawks dug themselves too deep a hole to climb out, ultimately falling to Florida Memorial 78-70 Thursday night at the Wellness Center.
 
TU (6-7 1-3 SUN) finished the night shooting just under 38% from the floor and 32% from long range.  The Night Hawks a typical night from the free throw line, knocking down 12 of 20 shots (60%).
 
Senior Guard Tim Williamson led the Green & White in scoring with 16 points along with eight boards and four assists. Senior Guard Jordan Booker posted 15 points, shooting 5-for-10 (.500) from the field.  Redshirt Junior Keon Williams started his third, straight contest of the season, posting 15 points and eight rebounds.
 
The Lions (6-4, 3-1 SUN) began with a roar 15 seconds into the game, as Eric Hester set up Brent Holcombe on an alley-oop to give FMU the first score.  After a putback by Williams tied the contest 2-2, Holcombe responded with four more points, including a second dunk to give the Lions a (6-2) lead they would not lose for the remainder of the contest.
 
For nearly the first nine minutes, Thomas would only trail Florida Memorial by one or two possessions until a good 3-Ptr. by Hester at the 11:21 mark ignited a 10-2 scoring run in a 3:16 span that would become FMU's lead cushion.  The final eight minutes of the half would see TU outscore FMU 14-12 to give the Lions a 37-29 lead at the half.
 
For the second, straight game, Thomas stumbled out of the gate to start the second half, as the Lions posted a blazing 15-1 run in the half's first four minutes and 18 seconds.  Florida Memorial would push its lead to as large as 25 points with a 60-35 lead at the 11:30 point.
 
The large deficit would be enough for Thomas to ignite its offense on a 14-2 scoring run that put the scoring difference at 13 with 8:48 left in the game.
 
Late in the contest, Florida Memorial appeared to have the game in hand after a Hester jumper gave the Lions a 73-60 lead with 1:45 left, but Thomas had other ideas.  In next 64 seconds, the Green & White managed to pull within five of the Lions thanks to a 9-1 run fueled by a few baskets from Booker and a steal and score from Williamson.
 
With 34 seconds left, Thomas had a critical chance to put the game to within two points, but a missed 3-Ptr. from Williams led to the Night Hawks forcing fouls to stay alive, but the Lions finished the contest putting down all four free throw attempts to secure the 78-70 win.
 
TU by the Numbers
4:        Players with 30+ minutes
6:        Different Starting Combos this season
8:        Made 3-Ptrs.
9:        Games Night Hawks' bench outscores opponents' bench
14:      Forced turnovers
37:      Team Rebounds
70:      Points scored
 
Thomas is back on the court Saturday to seek vengeance against St. Thomas; tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
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