MOBILE, Ala. – Faulkner found itself ahead by as many as 13 in the second half and nine with just 56 seconds to play before it had to survive a final furious push from Mobile in a 78-77 victory Thursday night. The SSAC opener for both teams remained uncertain until the waning seconds of the contest. 

Down nine following a pair of C.J. Hines free throws with 56 seconds remaining, the Rams started the comeback attempt with a couple of bonus tosses from Logan Foutz. A steal and a Gary Jefferson layup just five seconds later sliced the deficit to 78-73 with 43 seconds left. Mobile then forced another Faulkner turnover and cashed in a Damariee Jones put-back effort to leave the Rams down 78-75 with 24 seconds left. The bucket marked a 6-0 trip down the floor for Mobile. Faulkner finally got the ball across half court following the Jones bucket. The trip proved short lived following a missed Faulkner free throw with 18 seconds left. Sage McKenna snagged the board and gave Mobile possession but the Rams couldn't convert the opportunity. Joshua Williams grabbed a miss three-point attempt and put it back up to set the score at 78-77.

Faulkner turned the game around with a 33-18 run that ended the first half. Trailing 15-10 with 13:21 left in the opening period, the Eagles started their return effort with a pair of Jamel Cleveland free throws. A Trace Hill layup cut it to 15-14. Isaiah Brooks made a free throw to tie the game at 15 before Jalon Perry did dropped three straight charity shots to put Faulkner on top. The free throws ignited a stretch in which Perry scored 20 points over the final 10:53 of the half, sending him to the locker room with 22 in the scoring column and Faulkner in the lead 43-33. 

Perry finished the night with 24 points to lead all scorers. Hines added 20 points, four rebounds and three steals. Daniel Garmendia contributed 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Brooks had eight rebounds to pace the team in that category. The Eagles shot 49 percent from the floor as a team but missed 10 free throws in the effort. 

Faulkner (5-1, 1-0 SSAC) returns to action Monday when it takes on Brescia at the Battle at the Beach in Panama City, Fla. The game marks one of three contests in three days for the Eagles.