BY JOEL SELLERS

FAULKNER SPORTS NETWORK

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner turned a relatively close contest into a rout in the second half as it sent the William Carey Crusaders away with an 88-71 loss. The first half was mostly a back-and-forth affair. However, trailing 30-27 with 3:25 left before halftime, Faulkner got two Brandon Reeves (JR/Mansfield, Texas) free throws and a trio of 3-pointers from C.J. Jones (SR/Port Richey, Fla.) to give it a lead that would last the remainder of the game.

The Eagles led 42-35 going into the locker room. However, after another back-and-forth stretch in the first five minutes of the second half, Faulkner went on a 16-5 run that stretched the lead to 67-48 with 10:17 remaining in the contest. After the Crusaders made it a 15-point game, the Eagles ran the advantage to 21 points with a Nate Bradley (SR/Concord, N.Y.) three and two baskets by Milan Skundric (SR/Negotin, Serbia). Faulkner cruised the rest of the way for the win.

Bradley finished with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists. Jones registered 18 points, seven rebounds, two steals and three assists. Skundric had 16 points along with 11 rebounds, two blocks, two steals and three assists. Jacob Spence (SR/Fernandina Beach, Fla.) had eight points and six rebounds while Garrett Sanderson (JR/Montgomery, Ala.) scored six points to go with three rebounds and two assists.

The Eagles had a 47.8 percent success rate on field goal attempts, compared to a 40.7 percent success rate for William Carey. Faulkner outrebounded the competition 45-36.      

The Eagles' next game is on Jan. 9 when they travel to Brewton-Parker. This matchup will be the first of five straight road games for Faulkner.