MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner held its own and narrowly survived the Dalton State Roadrunners in a crucial conference matchup 65-61 on Senior Day.
The Eagles fought off a Roadrunner comeback attempt in the final seconds. After a pair of timeouts at the 23 second mark the Eagles held a three point lead 61-58. Dalton State quickly lost possession with 13 seconds to go courtesy of a Donavan Miller turnover. In an attempt to regain possession Miller fouled Senior Jonathan Garcia and sent him to the line to shoot one and one. Garcia made the knocked down the first attempt which followed by yet another timeout and a second made shot. Dalton State converted a last effort triple to cut the game close to a two point difference 63-61. Garcia was sent to the line for a final time and made the pair of free throws to close out the game and top off a perfect Eagle performance from the charity stripe.
The latter part of the first half saw two tied scores and three lead changes. The second media timeout after a roadrunner foul at 5:02 sparked an Eagle run. Garcia made a pair of free throws to bring the score to 23-19. A Jayden Cooper layup followed by a defensive board and bucket from Senior Sean McCurdy tied the game at 23 a piece. McCurdy connected with Victor Muñoz to give the Eagles a small advantage, but the Roadrunners answered back with a clutch jumper in the paint which brought the final tie of the game. A McCurdy triple from a Cooper dish at 1:47 put the Eagles in the lead for good.
The Eagles forced Roadrunner 17 turnovers and limited themselves to only six turnovers. Faulkner took advantage of their trips to the line and made 100 percent of their shots and went 16-16, a feat that has not been accomplished by Faulkner in the modern era. Muñoz and J.C. Norris played all 40 minutes while the other Eagle starters played at least 36 minutes. Muñoz led the squad with 20 points nine rebounds and four assists. Garcia followed with 18 points three rebounds and two assists. McCurdy added 11 points eight rebounds and three assists. Copper finished with nine points two rebounds and three assists.
Prior to the game Seniors Garcia and McCurdy were honored. McCurdy transferred from Pacific Lutheran University for his Graduate season. As a first year Faulkner Eagle McCurdy contributed 226 points and 162 rebounds. Garcia is a second year Eagle who has amassed 639 points and 157 rebounds in his Faulkner career. Garcia claimed the 6th man of the year award in his first season as an Eagle in the 2022-2023 campaign along with a spot on the Barnes & Noble College All-Academic Team.
The Eagles sit at 7-11 in league play and are ranked eighth in the current conference standings.
Faulkner returns to action on Tuesday at 7:30 when it travels to Thomasville, Ga. to face Thomas.
