MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner (13-6, 5-4 SSAC) controlled the tempo for the first 15 minutes of play and trailed 17th-ranked Bethel (13-7, 9-1 SSAC) by just two points at halftime, but song second-half shooting anchored by solid offensive rebounding ultimately elevated the Wildcats to the 65-58 victory in tonight's Southern States Athletic Conference showdown here at Tine Davis Gymnasium. 

Bethel tallied 13 offensive boards in the first half alone which helped catapult the visitors into a narrow lead by the break despite shooting just 25 percent from the floor. Eighteen of the Wildcats' 32 rebounds were offensive grabs.

The Lady Eagles were impressive on the defensive front down the stretch, but it wasn't enough to upend the national power.

Bethel had three shooters in double-digit scoring with Shamon Pearson and Brandi Goodman both securing double-doubles.

Faulkner was led by Kayla Tillman who booked 13 points while adding eight rebounds and a pair of steals.

Shelby Williams and Hannah Vest had nine points each while Brandy Alley secured 11 rebounds and five points.

"We defended well enough to win," said head coach Reed Sutton, "but some key shots didn't fall and they continued to play well. It really came down to work on the glass and we didn't rebound well. They had too many offensive boards and that gave them a lot of additional opportunities. We had a shooting drout in the third quarter that hurt us. We weren't scoring well and that's surprising because we we've been shooting well lately."

Faulkner will next host Martin Methodist in league action on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.