by Taylor Hodges

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner's women's basketball team (17-5, 5-5 SSAC) was able to pull off the upset at home by defeating No. 20 Bethel 75-70 on Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Wildcats got off to a hot start, going on an 8-0 run to begin the game. The Lady Eagles quickly erased that lead when they scored 17 unanswered to go up by nine.

The second quarter was much of the same due to hot shooting from behind the arc. Faulkner was able to go 9-for-16 from deep in the first half, which allowed the Lady Eagles to take a 39-26 lead into halftime.

Faulkner would keep the pressure on Bethel in the third period, going up by as many as 22 points, and they would have a comfortable 17-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

The Lady Wildcats turned things around in the final quarter of action. The Lady Eagles kept a steady lead for the majority of the quarter, but with 5:14 left in the game, Bethel started their 8-0 run to get within three points with just 2:46 to go.

Bethel would knock down shots to keep it close, but Faulkner was able to knock down their free throws late in order to hang on to the win.

Inga Armstrong, Kayla Tillman and Hannah Vest each finished the game with 12 points. Armstrong added eight rebounds, and Tillman finished with four steals.

Ashlyn Adkins went 3-for-4 from deep for nine points.

The Lady Eagles will travel to Marietta, Georgia, on February 3 where they will take on Life University. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. central.