MONTGOMERY, AL | The Thomas Night Hawks (11-17, 9-11 SSAC) basketball team will take on the Faulkner Eagles (14-14, 9-11 SSAC), this afternoon, in the opening round of the Southern States Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament, held at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex in Montgomery, AL. The tip is set for 2:15 pm CST/3:15 pm EST.
Both teams, along with Loyola, come in with identical conference records of 9-11. Based upon the conference tie-breaker formula, Loyola was awarded the seventh seed. The Night Hawks earned the eighth seed, while Faulkner was given the ninth seed. All three teams split their head-to-head match-ups. Using a common opponent that they all played, starting at the top of the standings, Loyola went 2-0 vs. William Carey, while both Thomas and Faulkner went 0-2. Next, separating Thomas/Faulkner, Thomas went 1-1 vs. Mobile and Faulkner went 0-2, thus giving Thomas the higher seed among the two.
During the regular season, Thomas and Faulkner each won on the other's home court. Thomas defeated Faulkner 98-92, in Montgomery, in early January, in a game that was rescheduled due to tornadoes. Faulkner returned the favor in Thomasville, winning 87-76, at the TU Gymnasium.
Thomas 98 Faulkner 92 (January 9)
The contest was just under two minutes old when an
Andre Lightbourne three pointer established Thomas' ability to shoot the long ball. After Lightbourne's three, the Eagles would find their offensive momentum briefly. At the twelve minute mark, the score would be tied at eighteen a piece. With an even score,
Jarvis Brown would make a statement by draining two deep three pointers on consecutive possessions. This proved to provide a spark for the Night Hawk offense. A minute later, at the ten minute mark, Brown would sink another deep three to give Thomas a 27-23 lead with just under ten minutes remaining in the first half. Thomas' team fouls would place Faulkner in the bonus halfway through the first period of play, leading to several scoring opportunities from the charity stripe that would help the Eagles remain in the game. However,
Tyson Anderson would showcase consistency from behind the arc and free throw line to help the Night Hawks head into the break with a 47-42 lead.
In the first half of play, the Night Hawks would shoot 43% from both behind the arc and the field, while also shooting 100% from the free throw line. Four different Night Hawks would combine to produce seven first half three pointers.
In the first two minutes of the second half, the Eagles would go on a 6-0 run to take the lead, 48-47. However, another
Andre Lightbourne three pointer in the third minute of play would quickly regain the lead for the Night Hawks, 50-48. Shortly after,
Jarvis Brown and
Tyson Anderson would hit three pointers of their own to further the lead. The Eagles would crawl back into the contest momentarily and pull within three points, but the Night Hawks would respond yet again. This time, courtesy of three made free throws from the hands of
Tyson Anderson, followed by a
Joshua Robertson layup. With five minutes remaining in regulation, the Night Hawks would lead 88-77. The Eagles would try to mount a comeback from there by producing a 7-0 run to pull within four points, but would ultimately come up short.
Jarvis Brown would put the Eagles away by draining eight consecutive free throws to help the Night Hawks secure the victory on the road, 98-92.
Jarvis Brown was perfect (10-10) from the free throw line, and shot 57% from behind the arc to lead all Night Hawks with 24 points.
Tyson Anderson would follow closely behind with 21 points, while also dishing out 3 assists.
Joshua Robertson would supply the Night Hawks with 10 points. All nine players that entered the game for the Night Hawks would add to Thomas' total.
Devin Baney would grab 9 rebounds, which would lead all Night Hawks, and
Jailin Lee would tally 5 assists to lead Thomas in that category.
Faulkner 87 Thomas 76 (February 13)
The Night Hawks would set the tone early, in the opening possession of the contest, courtesy of a
Jailin Lee lob and
Noah Lattin slam that would send The Nest (TU Gymnasium) into an eruption. Following the Lattin dunk, each team would find their offensive momentum and trade baskets, resulting in several first half lead changes. Night Hawk guards
Jailin Lee,
Jarvis Brown, and
Tyson Anderson would each produce a dominant first half of play to keep Thomas in contention. The trio would continuously provide a response following each successful Eagle possession. In the first half of play, the Night Hawks would shoot 53% from the field, and 55% from beyond the arc. However, the Eagles would hold an eight-point advantage, 53-45, heading into the break.
After the break, three minutes into second half action, the Night Hawks would begin a 14-0 run. This run would be capped by a
Jailin Lee layup that would provide the Night Hawks with a one-point lead, 61-60, with 12 minutes remaining in regulation. However, the Eagles would then respond with a 10-2 run of their own to regain possession of the lead. Despite a pair of three pointers from Anderson and Brown, the Night Hawks would not overcome the deficit. The Eagles would seal the contest from the charity stripe, allowing them to escape with an 87-76 victory.
Four different Night Hawks would reach double-digit scoring in the contest.
Jailin Lee would lead the way with 22 points and 3 assists.
Jarvis Brown would add 16 points of his own, while leading all Night Hawks in rebounds (7).
Keon Williams would supply 12 points and 6 rebounds.
Tyson Anderson would shoot 75% from beyond the arc to produce 11 points.
SSAC Tournament
Today's contest will be determined by two factors: perimeter shooting and defense. The winner of today's contest will face the #1 seed, Tennessee Southern (24-4, 18-2 SSAC), at 6:15 pm CST/7:15 pm EST. The game will be live streamed on
SSAC Sports.
Tickets can be purchased online. For up-to-date information on this game 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
