THOMASVILLE, Ga. – With the game tied at 68 and 11 seconds on the clock, Florida Memorial University junior guard
Quvondo Johnson stepped to the free throw line.
After missing the first, Johnson calmly sank the second free throw, giving the Lions a 69-68 lead and ultimately the victory after Thomas University's missed its potentially game-winning mid-range floater, as FMU earned a much-needed Sun Conference win in the Thomas University Gymnasium.
While Johnson's free throw was the deciding point, it was
Kaleb Darrett's season-high 35 points that carried the Florida Memorial (5-10, 2-4 Sun Conference) Thursday. The junior put his entire offensive repertoire on display – breaking down the Night Hawks defense to get to the basket on drives to the lane, pulling up and hitting mid-range jumpers, and showing his range from long distance while splashing 4-of-7 three-pointers.
Darrett also showed his defensive chops, finishing with a team-high four steals.
Darrett's big night was a big reason why the Lions, who will stay in Georgia through the weekend as they will face Sun Conference foe College of Coastal Georgia on Saturday, built a 16-point lead midway through the second half. Florida Memorial went up 53-37 after Johnson threw down a thunderous dunk. Thomas University (5-9, 2-4) began chipping away at the Lions' lead over the course of the final 10 minutes of the game – including going on a 13-3 run that totally engulfed FMU's 65-55 lead and tied the game at 68 with 39 seconds left to play.
The Night Hawks even had a possession with the game tied, but Darrett came up with his fourth and most impactful steal of the night and charged down the court on a breakaway. Amidst contact, Darrett missed a layup but Johnson flew in and grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled during his put-back attempt.
Thomas University had four players finish with double-digit points, while FMU was carried by Darrett 35 along with 14 points by Johnson and another 14 points from senior
Jordan Martin. Martin, who had been coming off the bench recently, was given the start by head coach
Ansar Al-Ameen and continued his hot shooting from deep – knocking down 4-of-6 three-pointers.
FMU 7-foot junior center
Mubashar Ali couldn't continue his streak of games finishing with at least 10 points – totaling just six points on 2-of-8 shooting, but he did keep his double-digit rebound streak going – snatching down a game-high 10 boards to keep him among the nation's leaders in total rebounding.
