by Taylor Hodges

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner's men's basketball team defeated the College of Coastal Georgia 80-75 in the final game of the Jimmy Faulkner Classic at Tine Davis Gymnasium.

The Eagles started the game off a little better than they did last night when Sean Edwards hit a three-point shot to get things going, something they were not able to do until the second half in the matchup against Selma.

Faulkner was very consistent on both sides of the ball in the first half, keeping the lead for nearly the entire period.

The score was tied going into the halftime break, but the Eagles put their foot on the gas and didn't let up for the entire second half, going up by as many as 18 points.

Coastal Georgia was able to fight its way back into the game, going on a 12-1 run to bring the score within three with 37 seconds remaining.

Faulkner had the ball with about 15 seconds remaining and a short time left on the shot clock when Marquis Grays hit a clutch three-pointer to extend the lead to six with only a few seconds to go.

Grays led the way for the Eagles with 21 points, followed by Adnan Halilovic who had 17 points and added seven rebounds.

Rene Scott was the only other Faulkner player with double-digit points, finishing the game with 12. Logan Jozwiak was close to a double-double, recording nine points and eight rebounds.

The Eagles' defense stood strong, forcing 17 turnovers, seven of which were steals.

Faulkner will travel to Atlanta on Thursday to take on Georgia Tech in an exhibition match at the new McCamish Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. central.