BRUNSWICK, Ga. - The Thomas University women's basketball program found itself tied at 41 in the fourth quarter with the College of Coastal Georgia, but a late Mariners surge sent the home team in front to a narrow 53-49 win.
Keiane' Rollins led Thomas with a 14-point, 9-rebound performance in 28 minutes, while
Ameari Logan was the only other Night Hawk in double digits with 11 points.
A
Jada Rawls three-pointer at the 4:49 mark tied the game at 7 apiece in the first quarter before another make from deep, this one from
Elicia Smith, gave TU the one-basket lead. CCGA would close out the opening quarter on a 10-0 run.
Another Smith three-ball opened the Night Hawks' scoring in the second quarter before two
Makayla Crews layups and another shot from beyond the arc, courtesy of
Skylar Patten. Thomas held Coastal Georgia to a 2-15 performance from the field in the quarter to chip into the deficit and enter halftime just trailing by a score, 23-20.
Of the 18 third-quarter points for TU, Rollins accrued 11 of them with five field goals and a free throw. Another Rawls shot from deep evened the contest at 27 with 8:01 to play in the quarter and the two teams eventually tied at 32, but the Mariners maintained a slight edge. Rollins' final basket of the quarter came with mere seconds before the horn; her layup made it a 40-38 CCGA lead entering the final quarter.
A Logan free throw brought TU within one and a
Makayla Crews layup on the following steal, also coaxed by Logan, sent Thomas in front, 41-40, with nine minutes to go. Logan added two more baskets before CCGA roared back to take a four-point lead. Rollins and Logan both converted two makes at the stripe down the stretch, but Thomas couldn't close the gap in the final minute.
As a team, TU shot 32% from the field, 33% from beyond the arc, and 40% from the line, while inducing 23 Mariners turnovers.
The Night Hawks (1-4) drop their third-straight two-possession game, ready for an exhibition match on the road at Division I Troy University on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7:00 p.m. EST.
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