PULASKI, Tenn. - Faulkner trimmed a 12-point, second-half lead to three down the stretch but could get no closer as 17th-ranked Martin Methodist escaped with a 74-62 victory here Saturday afternoon in a Southern States Athletic Conference battle at the Curry Christian Life Center.

A four-point halftime deficit and grown to 12 at 58-46 with 9:23 to play in the game before Monta Sanford and Nick Drake brought the Eagles back. A Drake 3-pointer, combined with a basket and three free throws from Sanford highlighted a run that cut the deficit to 62-59 with 4:04 left. The RedHawks' Toderick Davis and John Hoskins hit back-to-back baskets and the Eagles never seriously threatened again.

"We didn't come out ready to play, in fact neither team did, and they hit six of their last eight shots in the first half to put us behind," said Faulkner head coach Scott Sanderson, whose Eagles fell to 6-9 overall and 0-3 in the SSAC. "We didn't really start getting after it until midway through the second half, and most of that was from Nick and Monta. We were outsized big-time inside, just like we have all year, and Monta just refused to give in. I can go to war with a guy like that."

Drake finished with 22 points and Sanford 21 for Faulkner, with Di'mar Hill adding 11. The undersized Sanford grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. The Eagles struggled shooting from the field and the free-throw line, making 36 percent of their field goal tries and just 17 of their 32 attempts from the free-throw line.

"When you're missing free throws like that it just changes the complexion of the game," Sanderson said. "If we're good at the line we're ahead in the second half instead of behind."

Martin Methodist (8-5 overall, 2-1 SSAC) placed four players in double figures, paced by the 15 points from John Hoskins. Toderick Davis was next with 14, followed by Caleb Cowboy's 13 and Dacoby Burnett's 11. The  RedHawks shot 53 percent from the field, but also struggled from the stripe, making only 10 of 23. Martin Methodist won the rebound war, grabbing 42 to Faulkner's 33.

In a choppy first half neither team led by more than four points, with Faulkner holding the margin early and Martin Methodist late. Both teams struggled from the free-throw line, with the Eagles connecting on only six of 14 tries and the RedHawks on only five of 14. Faulkner, which was out rebounded 22-12 in the opening 20 minutes, held a 26-25 lead with under two minutes left only to see Martin Methodist go on a mini-run that resulted in a 33-29 RedHawk advantage at the break.

Faulkner travels to McKenzie, Tenn., Monday night to battle SSAC foe Bethel. The game tips off at 7:30.