TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Faulkner gutted out a 72-61 performance over Stillman Tuesday night in its first road contest of the season as it opened SSAC play with a win. The teams volleyed the lead over the course of the first half with Stillman driving its advantage to as many as six points before Faulkner started its run.

C.J. Hines threw down a dunk with 3:58 left in the frame before knocking down a free throw 47 seconds later. An Isaiah Brooks layup and a pair of Trace Hill free throws gave the Eagles the lead at 28-27 with 1:10 to play until half time. Jonathan Garcia capped the frame with a jumper and a layup in a 39-second stretch to leave Faulkner with a 32-27 lead at the break.

Stillman never got closer than three in the second half as the Eagles proved capable of answering ever Tiger charge.

The Eagles ran the lead to 11 when Hill dished to Daniel Garmendia for a three with 12:16 to play. Stillman countered with one of its best runs of the second half as Derrick Finklea accounted for four straight points ahead of a Tyler Martin layup to cut it to 50-45. The Tigers' final charge came on the heels of a Garcia three at the 6:36 mark that left Faulkner up nine.
Jalen Taylor connected on a jumper ahead of two Finklea free throws to slice it to 58-53. A Martin layup with 5:15 to play left Stillman within striking distance at 59-55.

The Eagles effectively ended the game with an 8-0 run that featured made free throws from Garcia, Brooks and Hill sandwiched around a Garmendia layup, moving the Faulkner lead to 67-55.

The Eagles shot 45.6 percent from the floor on the night while Stillman shot 45.3 percent. Each team made six of its three-point attempts. The Eagles took advantage of the charity stripe, converting 14 free throws on 20 shots while Stillman made seven of 10.

Faulkner won the rebounding battle 38-28 including 15 boards on the offensive end that led to 11 second chance points.

Hill topped all scorers with 19 points to go along with eight rebounds. Hines finished with 17 points, six rebounds and four steals. Garcia notched 15 points while Brooks had 11 and Garmendia added 10.

No. 11 Faulkner (4-0, 1-0 SSAC) returns to play Thursday night when it hosts Talladega at 7 p.m.