LAKE WALES, Fla. - The Thomas University women's basketball program as kept to single-digit scoring in the second and fourth quarters against the Warner Royals on Friday night, ultimately dropping the contest to the tune of a 41-35 final.
Zyi'Kiera King opened the ballgame with a three-pointer - it wound up being the team's only make from beyond the arc during the game.
Ameari Logan and
Makayla Crews contributed buckets to make it an 8-2 game at the 4:29 mark before a 7-0 Warner run.
Kyla Raven's two layups capped the Warner run before
Jada Rawls knocked down a jumper in the final frames of the opening quarter to send Thomas in front with a 14-13 lead after ten minutes.
Elicia Smith connected with a jumper with 7:24 to go before the half, but another Crews layup paired with a
Janitra Brown basket in the paint were the only second-quarter scores for Thomas, shooting 3 of 16 from the field in the period. An 11-point Warner showing sent the Royals to the intermission with a 19-17 lead.
The lead grew to seven out of the break before Logan connected with two free throws at the 6:37 mark in the third quarter, before coaxing a steal and breakaway layup a minute later. Crews then took over offensively, scoring six of the last seven third-quarter points for TU to keep the Night Hawks in a one-possession battle. Entering the fourth quarter down 34-31, neither team scored for the first six and a half minutes of the final period. A layup by Logan with two minutes to go made it a 36-33 Royals lead, but five good free throws down the stretch run outpaced a final jumpshot by Brown to lock in the Warner 41-35 win.
Crews led TU with 11 points in 26 minutes off the bench, while Logan came a point and a rebound shy of a double-double. Defensively, King's three blocks and Brown's pair of steals led the way en rout to producing 14 total Royal turnovers.Â
Thomas (1-2) continues action in Lake Wales with a Halloween tip-off at 4:00 p.m. against the Mighty Banyans of New College of Florida.Â
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