MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner built big leads, held on when it got closer and built on the leads even more in a 94-63 win over Brewton-Parker at Tine Davis Gymnasium on Tuesday to take the win in the penultimate game of the 2021-2022 regular season. A sharp-shooting night, along with taking the advantage in most statistical categories, was to thank for the dominant performance. The Faulkner superlatives included a whopping 17 steals, 10 in the first half, that tied the third-highest team mark in a game in program history. The visitors had pulled a double-digit deficit to within six with under five minutes to play in the first half, but a surge took the lead back to 13 at halftime. Faulkner replicated its 47 points in the second half while allowing five less to the Barons than they did in the first half.

The Eagles hit 50.7% of their shots and 45.8% on three-pointers, along with missing only one free throw attempt, translating to a 91.7% clip; the Barons were held to 41.8% overall and 37.5% from three, including just three of ten beyond the arc in the second half. Faulkner outrebounded 42-27, while allowing only four opposing boards on the offensive end. The hosts led in points in the paint 40-18, points off turnovers 23-9, second chance points 12-3, fast break points 20-6 and points from the bench 43-13.

Jalon Perry paced the Eagles with 19 points, along with five assists, four rebounds and two steals. C.J. Hines had almost the same stat line with 12 points and three steals. Jamel Cleveland came in as the first reserve and equaled Hines's points with six boards. Isaiah Brooks tallied eight points and four rebounds, while Daniel Garmendia got seven points and five assists. Trace Hill had a quieter night with five points, but made his presence felt nonetheless with six boards and three steals.

Austin Rogers, Jeremy Jordan and Derek Murphy each scored nine, with Rogers's coming on a trio of long-range makes in his biggest outing since an injury in November caused him to miss significant time. Midseason signee Christian Zitney, playing in his first college game, scored four, including a steal and breakaway slam dunk to cap his team's scoring. Perry, Hines, Brooks, Garmendia, Hill, Cleveland, Rogers, Jordan, Zitney and J.C. Norris each registered at least one steal. Brewton-Parker's offense ran through Bryce Wilson and Chance Hatcher. Wilson scored 21, with Hatcher the closest with 14 points and three thefts. Floyd Davis added six points and five rebounds.

Tied 4-4 with three minutes elapsed in the game, the Eagles broke out with a 16-1 run. Perry's jumper off the inbound opened it, before a Brooks three-point play, a Hines fast break layup off the steal by Garmendia, a one-handed layup by Hill, a Perry three and a Hines putback off a miss. The latter three scores were all set up by the scorers' steals. After Perry's, Hill regained control off Perry's near-turnover before the three-ball hit the iron and went up and through. Hines then got the ball back after he committed a turnover himself, and got the board and bucket after Garmendia's miss on the fast break. The Barons scored the next eight off two threes and a jumper that followed a chaotic sequence featuring three back-to-back steals. Brooks broke the run with a fast break layup of his own off Norris's second steal in 40 seconds. Hines's reverse layup staked Faulkner to a 24-13 lead with 8:35 until halftime.

The game entered a back-and-forth phase where scores were matched basket-for-basket. Down by 10, the Barons then pulled to within six at 35-29 on Wilson and Hatcher buckets. The second of those scores was set up when Aaron Udell picked Rogers's pocket and Jacob Casola came away with the loose ball. The next field goal came from Hines, however, as he regathered the ball after a would-be steal and received a pass outside of the arc to be able to sink the three. The visitors once again narrowed a 10-point deficit at this point to be down only five with just over two minutes left in the half, but Faulkner scored the last eight to set the halftime score at 47-34. Those points were tallied via a Perry three-point play and one-hander and a Hines three with one second left after the latter dribbled down the clock and got the assist off the give-and-go.

Faulkner did not let up in the second half, starting off with a 16-2 run that settled things with a 63-36 lead with 12:04 on the clock. The last scoring play of the run was the start of a stretch in which Cleveland was responsible for 10 of the Eagles' 12 points, with his next two buckets both off offensive rebounds and putbacks. After his steal led to a Jordan layup through contact off the fast break, the last two scores came after a Rogers steal and five Baron points, and the last one was registered with a two-handed jam after Norris assisted off the glass to set up the big play. Another Rogers three put Faulkner up 76-46 with 7:38 left in the contest.

Faulkner has now won 18 of its last 19 meetings with Brewton-Parker. All that remains for the Eagles until the conference tournament is a Senior Day matchup in which Mobile, a team that gave Faulkner fits and nearly came back and won in November, will make the return trip to Montgomery. The home team will look to build on its 22-5 record and head into the postseason with momentum.