by Taylor Hodges

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Lady Eagles basketball team (22-5, 9-5 SSAC) defeated No. 22 Loyola University 60-55 inside an electric Tine Davis Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon on senior day and homecoming.

It was a tight, physical matchup from the start, but Loyola had the advantage for the majority of the first half, where they took a four-point lead into halftime.

The Lady Wolf Pack extended their lead to five heading into the final period, and that is where Faulkner tightened up on defense and made their final push towards their win.

The Lady Eagles started the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run to go up by two. They held Loyola to only one point for the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter and went on a separate 8-0 run to go up by nine.

Big free throws down the stretch by Chelsea Burt, Kayla Tillman, and Savana Flack, as well as forced turnovers by the Faulkner defense, were the deciding factor in the game.

Burt came away with 15 points and added three rebounds and three assists.

Inga Armstrong had a strong day, scoring 10 points and nearing a double-double with nine rebounds.

Brandy Alley had a strong day on the boards with 10 rebounds, and Ashlyn Adkins recorded three blocks.

Faulkner will go on the road for their final two games on the season, first to Cochran, Georgia, to take on Middle Georgia State on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. central, followed by a matchup with Brewton-Parker in Mount Vernon, Georgia, next Saturday at 2 p.m. central.