MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Ruthie Smith racked up 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting to tie her season high in just 16 minutes and lead Faulkner (12-6, 6-3 SSAC) to a 77-45 blowout of Point (0-15, 0-7 SSAC) at Tine Davis Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon and cap off a much-needed 2-0 week for the Lady Eagles.
Smith provided layups for three of Faulkner's first four buckets off assists from Keyarra Scottland, Morgan Holland DeWitt and Avery Rogers, as Rogers hit a three on the third scoring possession. After Point narrowed the margin to three points on two triples, DeWitt and Rogers responded with layups of their own. Leading 13-8, Smith went on a personal 5-0 run on two layups, one via an offensive board off her own miss, and a free throw as she racked up 13 of her points in the first 10 minutes of game time.
Sydney Steward finished off the quarter with a steal and an assist to Audrey Blaine in the paint for a layup to set the lead after one at 23-8, as Faulkner made use of the bench early in this one. The Lady Eagles made 10 of 18 shots in the quarter while holding the Skyhawks to just three makes on 12 attempts. Point played it much closer in the second quarter, but Faulkner kept the guests at arm's length by attacking the paint, as Rogers scored on a pair of layups, and Scottland, Brett Douglas and Grace Anne Rose added one apiece.
Smith got it done beyond the arc as well, opening the second half with triples on the first two Lady Eagle possessions. DeWitt cashed in on a Smith block with a free throw and on her defensive and offensive rebounds with a layup. Rogers responded to Point free throws with a trey and Ella Jane Connell added a three and a jumper. Smith and Sarah Wisniowski finished off the quarter at the free throw line as Faulkner won the frame 21-9 and outshot the Skyhawks 46.15% to 18.18%, the latter's worst output of the day. For the entirety of the game, the Lady Eagles took the shooting battle 47.5% to 28.8% while taking points off turnovers 19-11, fast break points 22-0 and points in the paint by a whopping 46-4 margin.
Rogers scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting with five boards and two assists in 18 minutes. In just 17 minutes off the bench, Addison Cantrell poured in 12 points in the fourth quarter alone with four makes on five shots and four free throws, along with three steals. DeWitt had eight rebounds and two assists. Scottland dished out five assists. Steward crashed the boards with 10 grabs to go with two assists. Smith and Steward each blocked two shots as DeWitt, Douglas and Cantrell had a block apiece. Smith, DeWitt, Steward, Rose, Connell and Wisniowski each had a steal with Cantrell's game-leading trio.
With a pair of wins back on their docket after two road losses last week, Faulkner moves back up to third in the SSAC standings. The Lady Eagles stay home for their next contest as they welcome another SSAC East Division squad to town in fifth-place Life on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 5:30 pm.
