LAKE WALES, Fla. – It all came down to the final possession, but it was the Thomas University Men's basketball team that came out on top, knocking off the Warner Royals 68-67 Thursday night at the Turner Athletic Center.
 
Thomas (8-8, 2-4 SUN) finished the night shooting 42.4% from the floor, despite a rough 18.2% from long range.  Free throws were a crucial factor in the Night Hawks' slim win, as the Green & White went 16-for-21 from the charity stripe compared to Warner's 6-of-13.  For the first time this season, TU picked up the win despite the opposition shooting over 50% the entire game.
 
TU also recorded season highs in the Thursday thriller, as Senior Guard Tim Williamson notched his second-highest career total with 22 points with nine boards.  Sophomore Deonta Jones continued his winter jam, recording a career-best 13 points with a 67% conversion rate.  Overall, the Night Hawks turned the ball over seven times, the new best mark under Head Coach TJ Rines, while doubling that total in Steals (14).
 
The Night Hawks got off to a slow start, allowing the SUN Conference's top 3-pt. shooter in Warner's Joseph Martz to take control of the contest within the first five minutes, notching 11 of the Royals' first 15 points.  TU would shut down the Orlando, Fla. native for the rest of the night, allowing the senior to score one more basket.  Even with Martz on ice, WU (10-6, 4-2 SUN) continued to score at will, building a lead as large as 15 (29-14) with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
 
For Thomas, the scenario was all too familiar, as the Green & White once again battled back, building a blazing 19-4 run to tie the contest 33-33 with a Williamson layup at the 2:52 mark.  In the process, the Night Hawks took advantage of early fouls from Warner, as two players were quickly put in foul trouble midway through the run.
 
A foul from the Royals' Darryl Mercer with 1:18 in the first set half set up Graduate Guard Reggie Wright to put Thomas ahead (38-37) for the first time in the game with a pair of good free throws.  The Night Hawks ultimately headed to the locker room holding a tight 40-39 lead over SUN's Preseason favorites.
 
After a sharpshooting first half by both teams, the contest momentum became slightly defensive, as Thomas and Warner combined for only 21 made Field Goals.  As both sides stayed neck-and-neck, Thomas was able to build a lead as large as five points (54-49) via layup from Senior Guard Trint Bryant with 11:04 remaining.
 
TU benefitted from the slim lead, as three Royals had four personal fouls by the 9:12 mark.  Nevertheless, the setback did not stop Warner from putting together a 9-0 scoring run to go ahead 63-57 with 6:20 remaining, which was enough for the Night Hawks to call a full timeout.  In similar fashion, TU came out of the break with a quick scoring spurt (6-0) to pull the contest to within one point (63-62), forcing the Royals to also use a full timeout to regroup.
 
In the final five minutes of the contest, Thomas would force four crucial turnovers that prevented Warner from going up by more than one possession.  Up 68-65 heading into the final minute, Warner was given a golden chance to tie the game when Senior Guard Toriano Lewis was charged with a personal foul on WU's Mercer outside the perimeter for three, free-throw shots.  Warner's lead-scorer only converted 2-for-3 on the set, still giving Thomas a one-point lead.
 
On the ensuing possession, Thomas gave Warner a second opportunity to tie and possibly go ahead when the Night Hawks failed to convert a layup with 27 seconds left.  The Royals made the potential go-ahead possession the final one of the contest, as Warner waited until five seconds to pull the trigger, but a long three from Logan West hit side iron and was rebounded by Lewis to preserve TU's 68-67 upset win over the SUN Conference's Preseason favorites.
 
TU by the Numbers
2:        SUN Conference Wins
5:        Night game wins on the season
7:        Turnovers (fewest under Rines)
8:        Wins overall
14:      Steals (Third-highest total in program history)
15:      Largest deficit to overcome in a win (season-high)
67:      Points Allowed to SUN's third-highest scoring offense
68:      Points Scored
 
The Night Hawks are back in the Rose City Saturday to host Webber International for another SUN matchup.  Tipoff is scheduled for 4 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.