LAKELAND, Fla. (February 16, 2021) - St. Thomas University (STU) Men's Basketball (11-9, 10-8 TSC) defeated the Thomas University Nighthawks (9-15, 9-9 TSC) 83-70 on Tuesday afternoon in Sun Conference action in a neutral site game played at Southeastern University.

Bobcat Starters

• Chris Whitaker - Guard
• Justyn Rogers - Guard
• Tyrik Waite - Guard
• Jahsim Floyd - Forward
• Dwayne Russell - Forward

Game Notes

• Floyd began the scoring for St. Thomas with an early three-pointer, giving STU a quick 3-2 lead.
• Moments later, the Sun Conference foes traded buckets, as Thomas took a 7-6 advantage over STU.
• The Nighthawks rallied for an 8-0 run, putting the score at 13-6, when a Russell jumper halted the TU run.
• Christian DeJean knocked down a three-pointer, bringing the Bobcats within four, 15-11.
• Russell recorded four consecutive points for the Bobcats, as the score sat at 17-13 early in the first half.
• Midway through the first half, STU trailed 23-17.
• Waite added his first three-points of the game following the media timeout, as the Bobcats trimmed the deficit to 23-20. 
• Whitaker converted an and-one to tie the game at 25-25 with 5:38 remaining in the first half.
• Dante Pace and DeJean each knocked down a three-pointer to reclaim the lead for St. Thomas, 31-28.
• Russell ended the first half with 11-points, sending the teams into the break with a jump shot and extending the STU advantage to 39-35.
• The Bobcats were able to extend the lead early in the second half, reaching double-digits with a three-point make from Waite, 47-37.
• Lee Richmond tallied his first three points of the game, adding a three-pointer of his own to put the score at 51-39. 
• Russell once again scored four straight points for St. Thomas, bringing the Bobcats lead to 15, 57-42.
• Quinterious Jones finished a dunk, extending the STU lead to 62-42, with 12-minutes remaining in the game.
• At the second-half media timeout, the Bobcats led 69-53.
• A 7-0 run by the Nighthawks brought Thomas within seven points, 75-68, with less than three minutes remaining as TU called a timeout.
• Richmond made a dagger three-pointer, putting the St. Thomas lead at 80-68 in the final minute of play.
•  Waite sealed the win with his final three-pointer of the contest, as the Bobcats won their third consecutive game, 83-70.

MVBobcats

• Dwayne Russell: 23-points, 10-rebounds, 9-13 FG
• Jahsim Floyd: 11-points, nine rebounds

Upcoming

St. Thomas plays its final home game in the 2020-21 regular season on Thursday, February 18, against Keiser University from the Fernandez Family Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

-STU-