MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner climbed all the way out of a 17-point deficit only to have its heart broken at the buzzer Saturday in a 68-66 loss to Tennessee Southern. After managing only 19 points in the game's first 20 minutes and scuffling to put together any kind of consistency on either end of the floor, the Eagles found themselves down 50-33 with 13:59 left in the game. From there, Faulkner started to chip away.
After a pair of De'Marreon Baldwin free throws with 6:12 left pushed the lead back to 14, the Eagles managed a 9-0 run to get to within two possessions. A Baldwin layup interrupted the streak with 3:08 left, but
Gabriel Rivera answered with a make of his own 28 seconds later.
Eric Robinson free throws at the 1:44 mark pushed it back to seven before a Rivera free throw narrowed it to two possessions again. After the second charity look missed,
Jordyn Turner-Durley alertly knocked the ball off a Firehawk player to keep the possession alive for the Eagles.
Micah Thomas cashed in the extra life with a layup with 1:13 to go to make it 65-61.
After a UTS free throw made it a five-point game, Rivera buried a three to narrow it to 66-64 with 55 seconds to go. Faulkner got the stop on the defensive end and took over possession with 29 seconds left. The offensive sequence saw Rivera drive the lane and muscle a layup off the glass and end to tie it with less than 17 seconds on the clock.
With no timeouts, the Firehawks pressed the ball down the floor as Mike Bell drove to the rack for a potential game-winning layup that caromed off. As the ball ricocheted off the rim, Kiah Key flew in and tipped the ball back up onto the cylinder, watching it fall through the basket as the clock expired. The points were the only ones scored by Key all game long, but made for a memorable moment for the senior whose father and sister both played college basketball as Faulkner student-athletes.
The Eagles scuffled in the first half with 19 points on just five made baskets while shooting 18.5 percent from the floor. Faulkner finished the game with 37.7 percent from the floor while losing the rebound battle 35-32.
Rivera topped the Eagles with 25 points and eight rebounds, while Thomas had 14 points.
Francois-Dony Baba finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.
Faulkner (5-2, 1-1 SSAC) returns to action Friday when it travels to Kingsport, Tenn. to take part in The Show. The Eagles play No. 3 Northwestern College (Iowa) Friday at 3 p.m. and Oakland City Saturday at 11 a.m.
