MONTGOMERY, Ala. – After a slow first quarter, Faulkner turned in an impressive all-around effort to defeat Pensacola Christian 79-45 at Tine Davis Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

Despite shooting at least 42% in each quarter, at the end of the first, the visiting Lady Eagles held the lead by virtue of connecting on half of their shots and four of six three-point attempts. The hosts broke out of the defensive funk, however, and held PCC to a high of 26.67% in the second quarter before yielding even less from then on, including just one three in the latter three quarters and a 1-of-16 fourth. Faulkner won the rebounding battle 52-33, 35 of them on the defensive side.

"It's their first game of the season, it's our second, so we had to kind of adjust to their new personnel and adjust to the game," Coach Reed Sutton said. "They had some players that don't normally make shots make some shots. But we just had to adjust defensively, and you could see from the last three quarters, that worked out pretty well! Every shot was contested after the first quarter. After the first quarter, it was very difficult for them to get a clean look."

The main source of the Faulkner offense came from the bench and specifically several freshman and transfers, as the starting five was shut down for the most part, combining for only 30 points in the offensive production. The bench was responsible for every score from behind the arc.

"We had some veterans that didn't score real well tonight, defended great, but didn't score really well," Sutton said. "So, we needed our bench to step up, and those new faces really came off the bench and did a great job. Every single player that got on the floor defended well. They're great teammates, that's the impact they have, over and above any kind of scoring or rebounding. They're just fitting right in, and I think you can tell the difference in our team right now."

In her first game in Faulkner blue, Blue Mountain grad transfer Olivia Chadwell led the team with 18 points, including four triples, and eight rebounds. Lanie Henderson scored 12 points and five boards, meaning the true freshman now has a quartet of threes in each of her games at the collegiate level. Nequoia Adams was the highest-scoring starter with 11. Angela Grant contributed 10 points and six boards, while Evaiah Burrows added seven rebounds. True freshman Ella Jane Connell poured in six each in points and assists. Kinlee Varnell had five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.

After Morgan Holland opened the scoring for her team in the second time in as many games and Burrows followed up with an offensive rebound and finish, Carissa Akin and Kyelie Marquis combined to put PCC on the board and place them on top 13-8.

At the 4:44 mark, Chadwell checked in and knocked down a shot on her first touch at Faulkner. The visitors responded with a free throw and a basket to go up 16-10, but Henderson and Chadwell answered right back with threes to tie it up. PCC hit a three as the shot clock expired to answer, but after committing a charge, Johns took advantage by hitting a three with five seconds left in the period to get her team within one.

An offensive board and bucket by Montse Torres put her team up for the last time at 22-19, Grant and Adams combined for the next six points that placed Faulkner in the lead for good. In response to a rival Eagle score, Grant added another bucket and Chadwell claimed a three off the Varnell steal. Chadwell added another response about two and a half minutes later with a two and another three, and would have had another if not for the half ending as she gathered in an offensive rebound.

Grant proceeded to open the second half with three of her team's first four buckets before PCC had scored once. An Adams and-one, five points from Chadwell, a pair of threes from Henderson and a basket from Bridget Johnson ended the third-quarter offensive explosion, putting the game out of reach with a 60-37 lead.
  
Faulkner stays at home as the men and women host the Faulkner Invitational on November 4 and 5. The first Faulkner matchup will take place at 5 p.m. when the Lady Eagles take on Milligan.  

"Milligan was No. 65 in the country last year going into the national tournament, which means they were the first team out of the national tournament," Sutton said of the upcoming contest. "They have basically everybody back with an All-American. It's going to be fun to watch. We're much improved from last year, I think, defensively, especially with rebounding. So, it's a tournament game. Whoever wins that game is going to benefit from it down the line, I think someone's going to benefit from it in March, honestly. They're a very good team. They play a lot like us, they spread the floor and play around an All-American, just like we do. And so, it's just going to be a battle of wills. These are tough ones here, games where you're expected to win and you've got to go get it. The game on Friday is going to be fun. It's going to be a tournament atmosphere, very rich energy. It's why you play!"