Box Score HENDERSON, Tenn. – It took longer than anticipated, but Faulkner handled its business Friday with an 83-80 overtime victory against Cumberland. The contest was tied at the end of three of the four quarters of regulation before the decisive five-minute bonus frame.
Morgan Holland converted a layup and the bonus free throw with 45 seconds remaining in regulation to stake Faulkner to a 71-67 lead. A pair of Keara Sexton free throws cut that advantage in half before Tyra Johnson made a layup with five seconds left to tie the game at 71.
Faulkner appeared poised to win the game in regulation when Holland hit two free throws to put the Lady Eagles up 73-71. After a timeout to advance the basketball, Cumberland drew a foul with no time remaining to send Sexton to the line. She made both ends of the two-shot trip to send the game to overtime.
Holland continued to bolster the Faulkner effort in the bonus period when she made a pair of free throws to open the frame and put her team up 75-73. Breon Oldham followed with a layup to tie it again for the Phoenix. A Kennedy Powell free throw with 3:55 to go in overtime put Cumberland on top 76-75.
Nequoia Adams made the front end of a charity stripe visit with 1:52 left to tie the game once again. Adams then made two more free throws just 10 seconds later to put Faulkner on top for good.
Olivia Colson hit a layup with 55 seconds left to put Faulkner up 81-76. A field goal and two free throws from Sexton narrowed the lead to 81-80 with only six seconds left before Holland knocked down two more bonus shots to ice the game.
Holland, who was the leading scorer in the contest with 24 to go along with a game high 12 rebounds, poured in 14 of her points in the fourth quarter and overtime including a stretch when she made all seven of her free throw attempts in the final 5:45 of the game.
Prior to Holland's outburst,
Channing Gafford buoyed Faulkner offense with 23 points highlighted by a 7 of 10 performance from beyond the arc.
The Phoenix raced out to a 19-12 lead after the first quarter of play before Faulkner closed the Cumberland gap and took the advantage on an
Ashlyn Adkins three with 20 seconds left before halftime. Johnson made two free throws with eight seconds left in the period to tie the game at 27.
Gafford opened the third quarter with a three to put Faulkner up 30-27. The senior forward scored the first 11 Faulkner points of the third quarter to put the Lady Eagles up 38-31. Holland took over to notch the other six points in the quarter and end the frame with the score tied at 44. The duo of Gafford and Holland accounted for 40 of Faulkner's 56 points following halftime. Adkins added 10 assists in the contest.
The win moved Faulkner to 11-7 all time in overtime games.
Faulkner (4-1) takes on Christian College Classic host Freed-Hardeman University Saturday at 2 p.m.
