MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner found a way to grit out a tight one Tuesday night in Tine Davis as it ended on a 13-8 run to beat Stillman 70-65. The final non-conference tune-up before the first spate of SSAC games next week saw the Eagles with their hands full.
Faulkner held a 20-point lead with 2:37 to go in the first half. That margin entirely dissipated in the second period as Stillman put together a 17-2 run to cut it to 41-40 by the 14:12 mark. After the Eagles ran it back to a two-possession advantage, Stillman got consecutive threes from Dasean Sellers and Brandon Howard to knot it at 46. A Jonathan Crawford triple with 8:04 remaining lifted the Tigers to their first lead of the contest at 51-49.
Four straight K.J. Rogers free throws put the Eagles up 53-51 before Allister Dixon tied it again.
Tanner Vogel gave Faulkner the lead again at 5:09 and Jordan Fordyce connected on a layup to even the score once more.
Gabriel Rivera hit a layup with 4:34 left to give the Eagles the lead again. Brandon Howard made two free throws with 4:05 to go to tie the game again. Rivera flushed a three off a
Kamal Green II assist with 3:35 left to give Faulkner the lead at for the final time.
Rivera ended the night with a game-high 19 points, including 12 in the final 4:34 to close out the victory. Rogers added 17 points while Vogel finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Eagles shot 40 percent from the floor and won the rebound battle 45-36.
Faulkner (4-1) returns to play Thursday, Nov. 20, when it hosts Blue Mountain Christian at 7:30 p.m.
