BABSON PARK, Fla. – Faulkner trailed for all of 73 seconds Friday before quickly erasing the deficit and charging to a 78-64 victory over Webber International. The Lady Eagles fell behind on a Janaina Goncalves jumper at the 7:15 mark of the first quarter before
Sydney Steward dished to
Ruthie Smith for a three to put Faulkner up 11-9 with 6:02 left in the frame. A Camryn Patterson jumper seconds later allowed WIU to tie it, but the Sun Conference squad never regained the lead.
Faulkner hit a quick 9-0 run with blistering shooting from beyond the arc to put distance between itself and the Warriors. Steward hit
Grace Anne Rose for a triple for the 14-11 lead.
Ella Jane Connell then dished off to Rose for another three before Steward assisted Smith on another long-range shot for the 20-11 advantage.
The run provided the Lady Eagles enough breathing room to sustain a series of WIU charges. The Warriors finished the first quarter on a 7-0 spurt to narrow it to a one-possession game. Despite cold shooting from the floor to open the second, Faulkner held WIU at bay long enough to get the offense moving with a
Brett Douglas three at the 7:11 mark. After Goncalves answered, the Lady Eagles put together a 9-1 run to end the half and carry a 35-24 advantage to the locker room.
Webber got it back to single digits early in the third before
Avery Rogers buried a three off a
Keyarra Scottland pass. Rogers then hit Smith for another triple to run the lead to 42-29. Webber worked the deficit back to seven with just 22 seconds left in the third before Scottland ended the period with a layup that ignited a run to put the game away. That bucket was the beginning of a 16-0 Faulkner run that ran the lead up to 23 with just six minutes to play.
The Lady Eagles shot 48.1 percent from the floor in the game, including a scintillating 53.8 percent from three-point range on 14 makes. Faulkner shared the ball effectively, notching 20 assists on 25 made field goals as Connell, Steward and Scottland each notched at least four assists.
Morgan Holland DeWitt had 17 points and nine rebounds, while Smith scored 17 and grabbed boards. Rose notched 11 points. Rogers and Connell notched eight apiece.
The victory marks Faulkner's first 3-0 start since the 2022-23 season. The Lady Eagles travel to Lakeland, Fla. Saturday to face Southeastern at 11 a.m.
