THOMASVILLE – The Thomas University (TU) men’s basketball team scored its most significant victory in the program’s history.

The Night Hawks learned their postseason fate last week when they captured their first berth in this week’s NAIA basketball tournament. TU will be a No. 12 seed in the Naismith Region of the tournament. The Night Hawks will travel to Alexandria, La. to face the LSU Shreveport Pilots on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

“I am incredibly proud of this team and coaching staff,” said TU head coach Colin Cotter, the Sun Conference Coach of the Year, in a story on the TU website. “It is a testament to our hard work and dedication this year. We are excited for this opportunity.”

The Night Hawks will enter next week’s tournament with an 18-8 record. TU’s win total tied for a high in the program’s history. The Night Hawks had multiple highlights in the season, including an 11-5 record in conference play and a 10-game winning streak.

TU lost to St. Thomas University 105-87 in the semifinal round of the Sun Conference tournament, which ended the Night Hawks’ three-game losing streak to end the regular season.

TU has a balanced scoring attack, led by three players averaging 12 points per game. These include senior Mohammed Abubakar at 12.4, sophomore Jarvis Brown at 12.3 and senior Tim Williamson at 12.0. Abubakar is the team’s leading rebounder at 7.4 per game, while fifth-year senior Jordan Booker leads the Night Hawks with 154 total assists.

Booker and Abubakar are first-team all-conference performers.

Defense will key the Night Hawks’ postseason success. TU led the conference in defense, averaging 70.1 points allowed per game and in turnover-margin at 4.48 per game.