MONTGOMERY, Ala. - What a difference 24 hours can make, especially for Scott Sanderson's Faulkner basketball team. A night after a loss to Concordia in a game which Sanderson described "lacked energy," the Eagles responded in a big way to their coach's challenge.

Faulkner (5-7) scored early and often, completely outclassing visiting Thomas on the way to a 90-54 dismantling here Tuesday night at Tine Davis Gymnasium.

"That was our most complete game thus far," Sanderson said. "It's all about how you start games and the energy with which you play. Last night wasn't acceptable, while tonight was what we're looking for each time we take the floor. It's why, even late in the game when it was way out of reach, I was encouraging our guys to finish the game. We've obviously still got a long way to go, but I was pleased with how we reacted to the adversity we created last night."

The Faulkner start to this one was in total contrast to that of Monday night's, when the Eagles fell behind 9-0. Lucas Luttrell buried a 3-pointer on the first possession of the game, and things rolled from there. The lead grew to 15-2 on a Di'mar Hill runner, and climbed to 25-8 on a Baltruns' 3-pointer at the 9:58 mark of the decisive opening half.

Luttrell's third 3 of the half staked the Eagles to their largest lead at 32-12 before the Night Hawks made a mini-rally, trimming it to 13 on a Javoris Cooks' long-range jumper. Faulkner extended the lead back to 17 as Luttrell banged in another 3-pointer that allowed the hosts to take a 39-22 advantage at halftime.

It got much worse in the final 20 minutes, as Hill and Monta Sanford led an onslaught that at one time resulted in a 44-point lead in the game's final five minutes. Hill's 24 points and 10 assists paced the Faulkner effort, with Baltruns and Luttrell finishing with 14 points apiece. Marquis Grays added 11 for the Eagles, who got 32 points off the bench.

Thomas (5-6) got 16 points from Adonai Rogers, 11 from Javoris Cooks and 10 from Mike Lyons. The Night Hawks outrebounded the Eagles 44-39, which included a whopping 23 offensive rebounds, but they couldn't take advantage of the disparity. For the game Faulkner made 53 percent of its shots, while holding Thomas to a mere 25 percent.

Faulkner hosts Stillman Thursday night at 7 at Tine Davis Gymnasium.