Lynchburg, Va. -- University of Lynchburg graduate student T.C. Thacker scored his 1,000th-career point as the Hornets earned a comeback win over Eastern Mennonite Saturday afternoon.
Thacker started the game 12 points away from the millennium mark but he had other things on his mind while taking the opening jump ball.
"Winning the game was really all today was about. It was great to score those points, but all I really wanted was a win."
Dow Dunton, earning his second start of the season, got things started for Lynchburg with a layup after an offensive rebound.
The senior's early prowess on the offensive glass heralded in game-long dominance for Lynchburg. The Hornets came down with 22 offensive boards marking their most since snagging 24 against Bridgewater on Dec. 1, 2019.
The lead changed hands often during the beginning minutes until Chris Simmons gave EMU a 15-14 lead at the 12:43 mark. The Royals held the advantage for the rest of the first half despite several comeback attempts from the Hornets.
Tharon Suggs drew his team within three points several times late in the first. With 5:06 left, Suggs drained a 3-pointer. The graduate student from Raleigh, N.C. earned a trip to the line for three free throws 2:21 later and sank the trio of shots, but the Hornets could not erase their first-half deficit.
The Royals shot 41.2% (7-17) from deep in the first half in order to keep pace on Suggs and the Hornets and they took a 40-34 lead into the break.
As Lynchburg went to the locker room down by six, Thacker went into the locker room four points shy of 1,000.
EMU earned its largest lead 3:21 into the second half going up 48-38.
Lynchburg responded with a seven-point run capped off by Thacker's historic bucket. The Madison Heights-native to score his 1,000th point in really the only way he knew how. Thacker grabbed an offensive rebound with 13:46 remaining in the game and put it back up for a layup. However, Thacker and his team still had work to do as the second-chance shot only brought the Hornets within three points of the Royals.
Cam Savage stepped up big down the stretch. First, he sank a deep ball off an assist from Isräel Lockamy to bring his team within two points.
Suggs grabbed an offensive rebound and earned the second-chance points tying the game 61-61. After EMU regained the lead, Savage scrounged together a steal and four points to tie the game up 65-65 with 3:14 to go. Thacker, already with 14 points, sank two free throws and permanently gave Lynchburg the lead. He scored four more points afterwards and finished with 20 points. The 6-6 forward also hauled in 11 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season. Suggs, Dunton, Savage all joined Thacker in double figures as the Hornets halted a three-game skid with a 76-70 win over the Royals. Carrington Young filled up the stat sheet with four points, three assists, three rebounds, and a steal.
With the win under his belt, Thacker was able to fondly think back on his 1,000th-point. "It's probably number one so far," reminiscing about all his Lynchburg basketball memories. "Hopefully that changes at the end of the year here."
Thacker is the 27th player in program history to score 1,000 points but the milestone was not always on his mind. "I never really thought about [scoring a thousand points]," Thacker said. "I was just grateful for the opportunity to continue playing in college."
Now Thacker has led his team to a 9-5 record and a 3-2 mark in the conference after making 357 field goals and 283 free throws midway through his fifth season in Hornet red. As he said, his team has bigger goals lined up come late-February as they seek their first conference championship since 2016.
Lynchburg (9-5, 3-2 ODAC) visits Shenadoah on Monday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.
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--LYN--