HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. – Faulkner led for much of the second half and found itself with a chance late before falling to 74-69 to Rust College Wednesday evening.
The Lady Eagles saw an eight-point third quarter lead dissipate entirely by the 9:07 mark of the fourth. After Rust took the advantage on a layup with 8:18 left,
Neely Johns made a free throw ahead of a
Nequoia Adams layup to briefly put Faulkner back on top with 6:59 remaining. That proved the last lead for the Lady Eagles as Zoe Alexander knocked down a three with 6:30 on the clock before a Shuntorri Rodgers layup with 6:14 left.
A
Dee Guinn three with 4:50 remaining got Faulkner to back within one. The Lady Eagles would draw it back to a one-point game once more on a
Morgan Holland layup with 12 seconds left. A pair of Rust free throws moved the deficit back to three. Faulkner missed a game-tying three with four seconds left to seal the loss.
"As competitors we hate to lose games, but we are learning a lot about ourselves and we are really coming closer together as a team through this tough road stretch," Faulkner Head Coach
Reed Sutton said. "We believe it is going to pay off for us moving forward. Our kids are fighting hard and I am extremely thankful for each of them, and the support of their families."
The Lady Eagles shot 40.6 percent from the floor in the game including 38.1 percent from beyond the arc. Faulkner also took the rebounding edge 39-37. Holland finished with 18 points and seven rebounds while
Ruthie Smith had 11 points.
Faulkner (3-7, 0-2 SSAC) returns to action Tuesday when it hosts Brewton-Parker.
