MONTGOMERY, Ala. - No. 25 Loyola sprinted to a big lead then had to fight off a gallant Faulkner effort down the stretch, earning a 67-57 victory here Saturday afternoon in a Southern States Athletic Conference battle at Tine Davis Gymnasium.

The Lady Eagles fell behind by as many as 17 in the fourth quarter at 63-46 with 4:52 left to play. Erichea Barnes then hit a 3-pointer and followed it up with a jumper in the lane to cut into the deficit, and Kylie Moore's long-range bomb brought Faulkner to within 63-54 at the 3:03 mark. A Faith LeGate free throw trimmed it to eight in the final two minutes, but and intentional foul called on China Leary moments later took the air out of Faulkner's comeback attempt. The Wolfpack converted four free throws down the stretch to close it out.

The setback dropped the Lady Eagles to 6-11 overall and 2-5 in the SSAC and spoiled a career night for LeGate, who finished with a game-high 25 points and nine rebounds. The Nashville native made 11 of her 15 attempts from the field. Barnes finished with 14 points. Loyola, which remained undefeated in the league at 7-0 with the win, improved to 12-3 on the season. The Wolfpack was paced by Kylah Jones' 12 points and the 11 apiece from Meghan Temple and Briana Oglesby. 

"I thought we did a pretty good job tonight, but in critical moments we didn't get the stops or rebounds, or make the shots when we needed to," Faulkner head coach Reed Sutton said. "To beat a top 25 team, you have to be tough in those key moments. For the most part I thought we played solid. Obviously Faith played great tonight, and if we can get some more post production we'll be a much better basketball team."

The Wolfpack took control early, sprinting to an 18-4 lead as Worry canned a couple of 3-pointers during the first-quarter stretch. The Lady Eagles trailed 23-11 after the period, but LeGate's play inside allowed Sutton's team to stay within striking distance. The junior forward made seven of her nine shots from the field in the first half, finishing with 16 points in the opening 20 minutes. While Loyola was making 52 percent of its shots in the half, which included  7-of-15 3-point attempts, Faulkner struggled. The Lady Eagles shot just 34 percent, making only two of their 15 tries from behind the arc, and trailed 39-28 at the break.

Loyola matched their biggest lead late in the third quarter at 50-35, but Legate and Brandy Alley each scored baskets to trim the margin to 11 heading to the final quarter of play. Faulkner's defensive pressure in the second half, which held Loyola to just 24 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes, opened the door for the fourth-quarter rally. The Lady Eagles could never get over the hump, however.

Faulkner hosts the Rams of Mobile in another SSAC matchup Monday evening at 5:30.