MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Twenty-second-ranked Faulkner (13-5, 8-1 SSAC) overcame and aggressive 11-2 Bethel (13-7, 5-5 SSAC) run with under three minutes to play in tonight's Southern States Athletic Conference showdown to clinch the 90-85 victory here at Tine Davis Gymnasium.

The Eagles dominated the floor for the bulk of the outing and led by as many as 16 points while trailing only once for 42 seconds early in the first half. 

The Wildcats slowly chipped away at the Faulkner lead thought the second period, however, and forced the contest into one-point battle with just 46 seconds to play. 

The Eagles refused to give in to the Bethel momentum, however, and capitalized on 4-for-6 free throw shooting and a clutch defensive stop along the baseline to secure their ninth consecutive win.

Justice Scott and Isaac Edmondson were major contributors in Bethel surge tallying 25 and 20 points respectively on the night.

Faulkner was paced by Jose Jimenez who had 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Logan Jozwiak added 17 points, seven boards and four assists to the statistical totals while Rene Scott booked 16 points and a pair of rebounds.

Lucas Luttrell had 12 points and six rebounds for Faulkner as well.

"I thought we played the last five to six minutes not to lose," said head coach Scott Sanderson, "and you can't do that. We had a big lead and they cut it back and we had a couple of guys foul out. I thought we played really well the last two to three minutes, though, and that's what made the difference."

The Eagles will next host Martin Methodist in an SSAC matchup on Saturday at 4 p.m.