MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner held a 21-point lead after three quarters of play before Oakwood stormed back into the game with a hot fourth frame. The Ambassadors narrowed the game to four before the Lady Eagles put it away with a 70-61 victory.
Oakwood opened the fourth quarter with a 22-5 run that brought the game to 59-55 with 2:38 to play. The Ambassadors made 10 of their 14 shots from the floor during the run before Faulkner finally answered back.
Sydney Steward made a jumper at the 2:17 mark before
Grace Anne Rose converted a layup with 1:52 remaining and made good on the and-1 opportunity to move the lead to 64-55. Steward added a jumper at the 1:08 mark and
Dee Guinn added four points in the final minutes to set the final margin.
Faulkner started the game down 1-0 due to a Trenisha Adams free throw that was assessed due to a shot clock malfunction. The lead quickly went to 3-0 on a Saniya Keys jumper. From there, the Lady Eagles found their stride and finished the first quarter on a blistering pace. Keys made a free throw at the 4:50 mark of the first and another jumper at 3:53. In between those two field goals, Faulkner reeled off 12 points, including eight from
Keyarra Scottland and four from Guinn. The Lady Eagles poured in 23 points in the opening period and held a 10-point lead through the first 10 minutes. The lead grew to as many as 15 in the opening half, with Faulkner closing the second quarter on an 8-0 run. That stretch started with an
Ashlyn Plott three off a
Nequoia Adams dish before Rose helped on a Guinn triple at the 2:51 mark. Guinn added a smooth midrange jumper with 1:59 to play in the frame to set the lead at 37-22, where it remained at halftime.
The Lady Eagles shot 38.6 percent from the floor and took advantage of 22 Oakwood miscues with a 21-8 margin in points off turnovers.
Scottland led the way with 18 points, while Guinn reached a new high during her Faulkner career at 17 points. Steward finished with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, and four steals to go along with one block.
Faulkner (4-4, 0-2 SSAC) returns to action Friday when it faces Shawnee State at 1:30 p.m. in Kingsport, Tenn. as part of The Show.
