Faulkner beat a second nationally ranked opponent in as many days Saturday, besting No. 8 ranked Pikeville 88-81 in the SSAC-Mid-South Challenge at Dalton State.

The Eagles, who never trailed in the game, limited the Bears on the boards in the first half while carrying a 12-point lead into the locker room after 20 minutes of play. 

"We were really good defensively. We rebounded the basketball and we only had six turnovers. We played a solid, solid first half," Faulkner Head Coach Scott Sanderson said. 

The Bears worked their way back into it in the second half, shooting 44 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three to cut the deficit to as little as one. 

"We didn't let up," Sanderson said. "They out-rebounded us by 11 in the second half. And we turned the ball over a few times, which gave them some cheap baskets. That's kind of how they got back into the game. To our credit, we didn't let up. Sean (Edwards) made 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to get us another big win at a neutral site."

Pikeville cut the Faulkner lead to 79-78 with 3:50 remaining in the game before C.J. Jones (JR/Port Richey, Fla.) came up with a steal and finished with a bucket to push the advantage back to three. The Bears could draw no closer as the combination of Edwards and Rene Scott (JR/Mobile, Ala.) scored the Eagles' final eight points including a perfect 4-for-4 finish at the charity stripe for Edwards. 

Scott turned in 25 points to lead all scorers, finishing as the top point contributor for the Eagles in both games of the event. 

"He is just so fast on the floor. He has worked religiously on his shooting all summer long. He is taking better shots. He is just a hard cover because he's hard to keep in front of him because he's so quick," Sanderson said of Scott. "He brings a big, big dynamic to our team." 

Faulkner also went the final 12 minutes of the contest without turning the ball over at all, finishing the game with only 10 total turnovers. 
"The last 12 minutes of the second half, we did not turn it over at all. We did not turn it over one time and that was a big thing," Sanderson said. 

The win marks the second time Faulkner has bested a Top 10 team under Sanderson. The previous came Dec. 31, 2016 in a 94-82 victory over then No. 8 William Carey. 

"I just think we're learning some confidence. Both games were extremely different. The first game, we were behind the whole game and kept plugging away, plugging away and plugging away," Sanderson said. "Today's game was different because we were ahead the whole game."

Milan Skundric (JR/Negotin, Serbia) scored 19 for the Eagles and grabbed seven rebounds. Jones also finished with 19 points while Edwards had nine and Garrett Sanderson (SO/Montgomery, Ala.) scored eight. 

Faulkner returns to action Tuesday, Nov. 20 when it travels to Thomas University.