COCHRAN, Ga. – Faulkner battled through a second half lull and rode its backcourt's clutch scoring to an 81-68 road win over Middle Georgia State Thursday night. The Eagles made just three shots from the floor in the first 12 minutes of the second half as the Knights erased the remainder of what had been a 14-point deficit.

The Eagles exited the locker room with a five-point lead before a C.J. Hines layup at the 18:59 mark of the second half made it 45-38. The Eagles did not make another field goal until 15:30 remaining. The next such bucket came at 9:26 to go. The sequence was part of a 20-12 MGA run that gave the Knights a 58-57 lead with 8:13 left in the game. Milique Smith knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Knights the lead. From there, Faulkner's offense came to life.

Hines made a layup with eight minutes left to put Faulkner back on top. Daniel Garmendia knocked down a jumper with 7:29 left before Hines hit another layup seconds later. That combo accounted for all of a 19-6 run that saw the Eagles balloon the advantage to 76-64 with 1:24 left.
Hines scored 17 of his 28 points in the second half including 15 in the final eight minutes. Garmendia finished with 23 points while Trace Hill added 11.

The Eagles held the Knights to 39.4 percent shooting from the floor while connecting on 49.1 percent of their own shots.
Faulkner (21-4, 13-4 SSAC) returns to action Saturday when it hosts William Carey at 2 p.m.