MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Junior forward Faith LeGate broke open a tie game by knocking down three straight jumpers in the final two minutes and Faulkner grabbed a hard-earned 66-61 victory here Saturday afternoon in a see-saw Southern States Athletic Conference matchup at Tine Davis Gymnasium.

After leading the game by eight points at the half, Faulkner went cold in the third quarter as the Lady Crusaders flipped the script and were on top 48-43 heading to the final period. With the game deadlocked at 55 at the 1:54 mark, LeGate took over. Her baseline jumper gave Faulkner the lead for good, and baskets on the next two possessions by the Nashville native allowed the Lady Eagles to stay on top. She scored 10 points in the quarter to finished with a game-high 17, and her two free throws combined with two more from Erichea Barnes closed the door on William Carey.

The victory was the Lady Eagles' second in a row in conference play and improved their record to 6-10 overall and 2-4 in the SSAC. William Carey dropped to 5-6 on the season and 2-4 in conference play.

"Faith just became our go-to player, and I'm so proud of her for rising to the occasion at the key point of the game," Sutton said. "She made three monster shots. When we're at our best, we need to be scoring in the paint, and she provided that for us today. This team really battled today against a team that puts so much pressure on you. We responded, and I thought played a really nice floor game. We took care of the ball and we shot it better than we have been."

Barnes joined LeGate in double figures for Faulkner with 14, with Olivia Adamson and China Leary adding 10 apiece. Brandy Alley had 10 rebounds and Shelby Williams six assists for Sutton's team.

"I thought Shelby played her basketball game in a Faulkner uniform, and I'm really happy for her," said Sutton about this back-up point guard, who had zero turnovers as well. "And Brandy seems to get all the big rebounds for us. This was a total team effort today, and I'm really happy with the progress we're making."

The Lady Crusaders crawled back in it due in large part of junior guard Devan Cleveland, who entered the contest averaging less than a point a game. She had 12 points in the third quarter alone, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers, and finished with 14. Shania Posey contributed 12 and Fredrikah Wilson 11 for William Carey.

The Lady Eagles enjoyed one of their best shooting halves of the season, but still didn't grab its first lead until the 6:57 mark of the second quarter on a 10-foot jumper by China Leary. It was part of a 13-0 stretch that turned a three-point deficit into a 10-point Faulkner lead. Emma Herren and Olivia Adamson both hit 3-pointers during the decisive run, as the Lady Eagles held the Lady Crusaders to only four second-quarter points. The Lady Eagles, who shot 46 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, held a 30-22 advantage at the break.

The Lady Eagles finished the game at 43 percent from the field, resulting in one of their better shooting performances of the season. William Carey did outrebound Faulkner 37-32. Both teams took care of the basketball well, with the Lady Crusaders committing 13 and the Lady Eagles 12.

Faulkner plays its third straight SSAC home game next Saturday when it hosts Loyola (La.). The game tips off at 2 p.m.