Box Score MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Brandy Alley controlled the paint and made the go-ahead free throw in overtime to lift Faulkner to a 65-60 victory over Selma here Saturday night on the closing night of the Jimmy Faulkner Classic at Tine Davis Gymnasium.
The Lady Eagles moved to 2-0 with the win, which was head coach Reed Sutton's 100th as the father of the Faulkner women's basketball program. It may not have happened without the sophomore power forward from Murfreesboro, Tenn. Alley had five of her 12 points in the extra period and pulled down a career-high 22 rebounds on the night.
After Alley's free throw gave the Lady Eagles a 61-60 lead with 2:12 left, teammate Faith LeGate added a pair of baskets in the final minutes to put the game on ice for Faulkner and Sutton.
"I'm proud of this team for fighting, and for how tough Brandy was down the stretch," Sutton said. "As for the 100 wins, I guess I'm the common thread, but it's the combination of a lot of people who have meant so much to this program in just over five years. I look down our bench and I see a lot of young players who are hopefully going to be a part of many more wins over the next few years."
Adding another double-double for Faulkner was junior forward Olivia Adamson, who had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard China Leary, who failed to score in Friday night's win over Selma, had 13 against the Lady Hornets. Point guard Erichea Barnes contributed nine points, eight assists and six rebounds to the winning effort. Lekeesha Pickens and Shanique Youngblood has 12 points apiece for Concordia, which lost in overtime to Auburn Montgomery Friday night. Christy Ducre added 11 for the Lady Hornets.
A Tavia Harris basket with 2:54 left in the third quarter capped a 12-3 run to start the second half, giving Concordia a 39-33 lead. Faulkner then held the Lady Hornets scoreless for the rest of the third period and the first six minutes of the fourth as the Lady Eagles scored 14 straight to grab an eight-point advantage with four minutes remaining in regulation.
Things got crazy from there. Lakeesha Pickens made four 3-pointers for Concordia during the closing stretch that included a pair of long-range bombs from the Lady Eagles' Adamson, resulting in a 50-50 tie at the end of regulation.
The Lady Eagles led almost the entire first half, but could never shake the Lady Hornets. Faulkner's biggest lead in the first two quarters was six, but Concordia battled back for its first lead since the opening minute at 25-24 with 2:43 left in the half. Adamson scored a pair of baskets in the closing minutes, however, that allowed the Lady Eagles to take a 30-27 advantage at halftime.
Adamson's nine points and Leary's eight were the top Faulkner efforts at the break.
Faulkner's next two games are exhibitions, with the Lady Eagles playing at Alabama State Thursday night and at Alabama on Nov. 9. Both games are set to tip off at 6 p.m.
