THOMASVILLE, Ga. - A huge first quarter, dominance in the paint and
Evaiah Burrows's first career double-double was enough to keep distance from a scrappy Night Hawk side before Faulkner pulled away in the fourth a 67-52 victory over Thomas Tuesday night on the road in SSAC play.
"We are extremely happy with the road win," Sutton said. "I'm very impressed with the job Coach Fox is doing. Thomas is very competitive and he has them believing."
Just over three minutes into the game, Faulkner led 8-6 after a Thomas bucket. That would be the last points the Night Hawks would score in the quarter as the Lady Eagles locked down the hosts as
Ruthie Smith and
Evaiah Burrows each knocked down a pair of triples to fuel an 18-0 run.
Burrows knocked down a couple of free throws with 3:27 to play in the first half to give Faulkner its biggest lead of the evening at 32-11 but Thomas chipped seven points off before the half and started the third quarter strong to eventually cut it down to a 40-36 Lady Eagle lead with 6:01 in the third.
The defense answered again with a stretch of almost four and a half minutes without allowing a point to stop the pursuit.
Dee Guinn knocked down a couple of layups ahead of a pair of free throws from
Ella Jane Connell and a
Ruthie Smith layup to take a double-digit lead again.
Thomas once again cut it to four with 8:22 to go, but Guinn answered right back with another layup to spark the defense to yet another three minute stretch without giving up a point as part of a 15-6 closeout to take the important SSAC win.
Faulkner outrebounded Thomas 56-33 and scored 20 more points in the pain than the hosts' six to gain the edge.
"Our team got off to a great start shooting the ball. We did a great job on the glass and we got balanced scoring. Defensively we limited their paint touches and moved our feet and kept them off the FT line. We finished the game very efficiently on both ends of the floor."
Burrows ended the night with 10 points and a career-best 11 rebounds for her first double-double. She also carried a team best three assists with no turnovers. Guinn and
Neely Johns tied for the team lead on points with 12.
Kinlee Varnell and Smith tied Burrows in points while
Morgan Holland ended one point shy of a double-double with a floor best 14 rebounds.
"We have a huge game on Saturday against a tough defensive team in Point U. We will get back after it tomorrow and try to get that last win of the regular season and try to go into the tournament with momentum."
Faulkner is 13-3 in its last 16 games and sit in fourth, a half game ahead of fifth place Life and two games behind third place William Carey in the loss column, but one ahead in the win.
The Skyhawks won the AAC tournament last season and West Point, Ga. is a place the Lady Eagles have not won at in the program's two trips. The game is set for 11 a.m. central.
