THOMASVILLE, GA — The Thomas University women's basketball team lost a closely contested contest to St. Thomas University Thursday night, 63-76.

The Bobcats (10-12, 6-6 SUN) jumped out to a quick 8-2 run to begin the game, as their senior guard Kasey Gagan got off to hot start scoring 13 of her 15 point in the first half. STU controlled the entire first quarter until a late TU three-pointer from junior Ta'Nija Watson narrowed the gap to one, with a long-range desperation three that slimmed the lead at the start of second quarter to 23-22 in favor of the Bobcats. 

The second quarter saw the Night Hawks and Bobcats once more go neck and neck, as both teams found plenty of offense shooting over 45% from the field, including 44% from three for the Night Hawks. Just before the halftime break, STU sophomore guard Brooke Bogatz decided it was her turn to get in on buzzer-beater action, shooting a long 30+ footer as the clock expired regaining the lead and sending the Bobcats to halftime back in control, 42-40. 

After the break, both teams began to cool off from the field, with the Night Hawks going 0-3 from downtown after starting the first half 4-9 from long range. Additionally, going into the halftime break Ta'Nija Watson had a team-best 12 points, but the offensive success from the first half did not directly translate into the second, as the Night Hawks not only struggled from long range, but the team's overall offensive output was nearly cut in half as TU was only able to score 23 in the second half.

Despite the offensive drought to end the third, the Night Hawks burst out of the gate in the fourth, getting four quick points tying the contest at 56 apiece with 7:30 left in the ballgame. The tied ballgame was shortly lived though, as the Bobcats' offense exploded out of nowhere scoring ten points with three back to back to back long-range bombs putting ice on the cake and solidifying a double-digit lead that carried TU until the final whistle. 

Even with the lopsided 74-63 win, the Night Hawks kept the game close and even gained a lead late in the second half before the Bobcats took advantage and extended their lead into that double-digit mark. 

Destiny Reed led all scorers for TU with 16, while juniors Ta'Nija Watson and Amayla Sharif both reached the double-digit mark. Junior Sakendra Paulk netted seven points in her first start as a Night Hawk, while senior Dyani Sheppard got back into the rotation scoring nine points on 3-4 shooting. 

Up next, the Night Hawks will have another home contest this Saturday, February 5th, as the Lions from Florida Memorial pay Thomasville a visit to compete in the TU Gymnasium. 

Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be followed by the Men's contest. Fans unable to attend can follow along with the game by accessing the links below. 

Watch Live

Live-Stats (XML)

For up-to-date information on these 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 TU women's basketball follow them via Twitter at @NightHawksWBKB.