by Taylor Hodges

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The fans came out in full force to support the Faulkner men's basketball team (3-0) as they defeated Concordia College 88-75 on Monday night at the Tine Davis Gymnasium.

It was a physical matchup from the start, and the teams remained close for the majority of the first half.

The Eagles were lights out from behind the three-point arc in the first 20 minutes, knocking down six of their 13 attempts.

Faulkner gained some breathing room late in the first period and took a 45-32 lead into halftime.

The Hornets started the second half off with a small run, but it wasn't enough to cut into the Eagles lead.

Faulkner struggled late down the stretch when Concordia got into their full-court pressure defense. Turnovers were the biggest problem the Eagles had, and they gave the ball up a total of 23 times to 13 by the Hornets.

Earvin Perroni had a strong night on the glass, pulling down a total of 14. He added 10 points, finishing the game with a double-double.

Rene Scott led the Eagles in scoring with 15 points and had four assists and two steals.

Adnan Halilovic manned the middle and tallied 14 points and six rebounds. C.J. Jones also had 14 points.

Marquis Grays came off the bench and finished with 13 points and four assists.

"It was a great win tonight," assistant coach Drew Wilson said. "We turned the ball over a lot down the stretch, though, and that's not what we're looking for. But I'm glad we were able to get the win."

Faulkner's next game will be on Friday night in the Veteran's Day Classic at Tine Davis Gymnasium against Thomas University. Tipoff is set for 7.