COCHRAN, Ga. – Faulkner flipped a switch for one of the best second halves in program history Thursday night to surge by Middle Georgia State for a 91-77 victory. The Eagles trailed by as many as 13 with 15:47 to play before making their run. 

Faulkner got a three from C.J. Hines with 13:59 to play to cut the deficit to nine before Juwan Johnson hit a jumper for the Knights to push it back to 11. Hines answered with a jumper 29 seconds later to ignite a 16-3 run. Amid the stretch, J.C. Norris briefly tied the game at 58 with a three off a Hines assist at the 10:21 mark. Johnson made a free throw with 9:57 left to put Middle back on top for what proved to be the final time. 

Hines hit a three off an Isaiah Brooks assist with 8:48 to play, putting Faulkner up 61-59. Maliek Sadler's free throws 26 seconds later tied the game. Hines gave the Eagles the lead again with 8:11 to play with a jumper in the lane. Faulkner proceeded to run the lead to as many as eight before the Knights worked the deficit down to three with 4:30 remaining in the game. 
Jahwan Smith made a three for the Knights with 3:35 left to put Middle down four. From there, the Eagles got the bulk of their work done at the free throw line, using the charity stripe to account for seven of 11 points as they punctuated the game on an 11-1 run. 

The Eagles tallied 62 points in the second half, tying the third highest single-period total in modern program history. Faulkner shot 79 percent from the floor in the second half, anchoring an effort that saw them make 56.7 percent of their shots in the game. 

Faulkner won the rebound battle 28-24 and limited itself to only seven turnovers in the contest. The Eagles also attacked the pain consistently, outscoring Middle Georgia 30-16 in the lane. 
Faulkner's comeback drew its greatest contributions from Hines, who hung 34 points and six assists in the second half. 

Hines finished his night with 41 points to go along with six rebounds and nine assists. The scoring total by the Atlanta native represents the second highest single game point performance by any player in modern program history. It is the second 40-point game on record and the first since Di'mar Hill scored 42 points against Bethel in 2017. Jalon Perry, who played 39 minutes, continued his strong play with an 18-point game. 

Faulkner (20-5, 12-3 SSAC) plays again Saturday at Brewton-Parker.