HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Things got away from Faulkner in the second half Thursday night as it watched a halftime lead melt into an 83-64 defeat against SSAC foe William Carey.
The Lady Eagles held a 40-36 lead in the locker room after knocking down 10 first-half three-pointers. The shooting stroke did return for the second half as Faulkner hit just one of its 14 heaves from deep over the game's final two minutes while shooting only 25 percent from the floor.
For its part, William Carey took advantage by shooting a blistering 62 percent from the field in the game's second half. The Crusaders dominated the glass 49-35 and shared the basketball with great efficiency, notching 20 assists across 30 made baskets.
The game turned in the third quarter after
Nequoia Adams made a free throw to put her team up five with nine minutes remaining in the period. A Leah Sutton jumper 13 seconds later ignited a 15-2 Carey run that saw the squad make seven of its next eight looks to go up 51-43. A Lady Eagle mini run pulled the game back to 53-49 with 2:49 remaining in the third. But Faulkner proved unable to draw any closer as the Crusaders launched a 15-0 run across the next 3:43 of clock time to run the margin to 19 points. The Lady Eagles played the contest dead even the rest of the way but never could get the game back within reach.
Adams topped all scorers with 26 points to go along with three steals. The season high for Adams matches the second-best scoring game of her career and marks the first time she has reached that total since she put up 26 on the road at William Carey on Jan. 14, 2023..
Ruthie Smith added 13 points and eight rebounds.
Keyarra Scottland finished with 10 points.
Faulkner (4-7, 0-3 SSAC) plays again Saturday at South Alabama in an exhibition contest before taking on Harding in an exhibition Dec. 16. The next countable game for the Lady Eagles is Wednesday, Dec. 18 at Stillman.
