MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner (9-4, 1-2 SSAC) rebounded from a six-point halftime deficit to claim its first Southern States Athletic Conference victory of the season tonight against Blue Mountain College (2-5, 0-3 SSAC) 59-53 here at Tine Davis Gymnasium.

The Lady Eagles orchestrated an absolutely stifling defensive stand in the second half which included holding the Toppers to just a single basket in the third period. Blue Mountain tallied 36 points over the first two quarters, but mustered just 17 the entire second half.

The Faulkner defense was virtually impenetrable in the paint over the last 20 minutes of play leaving the Topper with little choice but deep perimeter shooting, which wasn't as effective as it had been early in the outing.

Faith LeGate was perhaps the biggest factor in the Lady Eagle's interior blockade. The senior secured her second double-double performance of the year with 11 rebounds and 10 points. The lion's share of the problems she caused for the visitors simply don't register on the statistical printout. LeGate was a constant presence in the lane forcing what few drive's the Toppers attempted back to the drawing board. 

Hannah Vest was another crucial component to the defensive success. The junior guard also tallied 11 boards, including a handful of late offensive grabs that helped keep Faulkner in the driver's seat down the stretch. Vest added eight points and had four assists to boot.

Kayla Tillman also had eight points.

Guards Chelsea Burt and China Leary were also impact players on both side of the ball. Burt offered up six points and five rebounds and assists while Leary contributed six points, four boards and a pair of assists.

"The key in the second half was that we executed the game plan," said head coach Reed Sutton. "Our effort and intensity were not very good in the first half. Both teams are coming off of a holiday break and we simply needed to play harder. We did that in the second half. We executed the game plan and that made a big difference."

The win will help springboard Faulkner into Saturday's matchup against conference foe William Carey. The Crusaders will enter the game 3-4 overall and 1-1 in the league. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. at Tine Davis Gym.