Score: Keiser 74, Thomas 67
Records: Keiser (10-11, 6-5 TSC), Thomas (9-10, 5-6 TSC)
Location: Student Life Center, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Keiser Starters: Radulovic (G), Fisher (G), Orlic (F), Gedeon (F), Matic (F)
Thomas Starters: Scott (G), Bryant (G), Kostyk (G), Wright (F), DiSipio (C)

Keiser Highlights

• Marko Orlic matched his career-high point total by setting a new season of 25 points on 8-of-15 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. The forward also was able to snag seven rebounds in the win.
• Andrija Matic and CJ Fisher both joined Orlic in double-figure scoring with 12 points apiece, while Matic paced the Seahawks in the rebounding category with eight (all defensive) and Fisher had a game-high six assists to tie his season high.
• Marko Radulovic was steady in 37 minutes of play by producing eight points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Bryce Thurston led the Keiser bench with eight points on 2-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.

 
Turning Point                                                                                
The Seahawks were able to establish a healthy 15 point lead at the intermission, capped off by an improbable tip-in from Orlic at the buzzer that made it 40-25. That lead proved to be enough to earn the Sun Conference victory, the Seahawks' fifth in their last six contests.
 
How it Happened

• Neither team could gain any separation from each other in the opening minutes, until Keiser made the first big run by turning a 10-11 deficit to a 21-11 lead at the 10:02 mark with a 10-0 run which spanned nearly five minutes and was capped off by four consecutive points from Radulovic.
• The lead grew to as large as 13 points at 28-15 with 7:28 to play until the halftime whistle, as Matic and Thurston each canned three-pointers to counter two layups by Thomas.
• Thomas converted on two consecutive three-point attempts to bring their deficit down to seven points at 28-21 with 4:53 on the clock, but Keiser built the lead right back up to 13 at 36-23 with 2:18 left with an 8-2 spurt, as four different players produced points.
• As the first half clock dwindled down it looked like the Keiser advantage would remain at 13 points, but Orlic sent the Seahawks until the locker room with a well-timed stick back after an offensive rebound at the final second to make it 40-25.
• The second half started to become a bit of a grind for both teams on the offensive end, but the Seahawks continued to hold the lead at no less than 15 points until a Thomas three-pointer made it 48-34 with 13:01 to play.
• Keiser however pushed the advantage to its largest margin of the game at 19 points, 53-34 with 11:09 remaining following a Matic layup and Thurston three-pointer.
• The Night Hawks proceeded to then begin what turned into a run of ten unanswered points, as the Seahawk offense hit a bit of a dry spell to allow Thomas to draw back within single digits at 53-44 with just 5:37 on the clock.
• The two sides exchanged productive offensive outings before Thomas made it a seven point ball game at 55-48 Keiser with 4:22 on the clock, but Orlic went on a 6-1 run on his own, highlighted by a three-pointer and the foul with 2:48 on the clock to make it 61-49.
• The Night Hawks were able to get the Keiser lead as low as seven points on four separate occasions for the remainder of the game, but the Seahawks executed well down the stretch to hold the visitors off.
• As the clock began to be more and more in Keiser's favor, the Night Hawks were forced to extend the game by fouling, but the Seahawks hit nine of 14 attempts in the final two minutes and 20 seconds of play. Orlic went 5-of-6 down the stretch from the stripe, and Keiser was strong enough defensively to earn the 74-67 victory.

 
Inside the Box Score

• Though Keiser's streak of eight consecutive games with a rebounding advantage came to an end, the Seahawks shot the ball much more efficiently than the Night Hawks to make the most of their chances (47.1 percent from the floor compared to Thomas' 36.1 perecent.)
• Keiser made their way to the free-throw line for 30 attempts and converted on 22 of them for a 73.3 percent clip.
• The Seahawks assisted on 17 of 24 made field goals, and did most of their damage inside, outscoring the Night Hawks 34 to 24 inside the paint.

Game Notes

• Keiser now leads the all-time series with Thomas 9-4, and evened the season series while breaking the tie in the Sun Conference standings with the Night Hawks.
• Orlic tied his career-high mark of 25 points to pace the Seahawks offensively.
• The Seahawks are currently in a tie for fifth in the Sun Conference standings at 6-5 with Coastal Georgia.

 
Coach's Corner
"We stayed with our game plan for most of the game and hit some free-throws at the end to secure the win," said Head Coach Bob Starkman. "CJ Fisher did a great job running the team and going the full distance, as did Orlic. We still have to continue to work as a unit and get better each game. The players have been doing that the last few games, but we must hold onto our leads moving forward."


Ties: 3
Lead Changes: 8
Largest Lead: Keiser (19), Thomas (2)
 
Team Leaders
Keiser
Points: Orlic (25)
Rebounds: Matic (8)
Assists: Fisher (6)
 
Thomas
Points: Scott (16)
Rebounds: Wright (12)
Assists: Wright (2)
 
Up Next
Keiser will travel to face Sun Conference leading, No. 11 ranked Southeastern on Thursday, January 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Lakeland, Fla. The Fire squeezed past the Seahawks by a final score of 62-61 on December 1, 2018.