MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner used a pair of backbreaking second-half runs to notch a 90-82 victory over SSAC foe William Carey Thursday night. The teams traded punches to a 26-23 first quarter before the No. 18 ranked Lady Crusaders paired a Leah Sutton jumper and an Alyssa Hillard layup for a 42-40 advantage with 1:41 left in the second period.
Keyarra Scottland answered less than a minute later with a three-pointer off an
Ella Jane Connell assist to give her team the lead once more. In the closing seconds of the half, Scottland dished to
Avery Rogers for another three for the 46-42 halftime lead.
Faulkner kept that momentum to start the third quarter as
Ruthie Smith notched a layup off a
Morgan Holland DeWitt dime. Scottland mixed in three straight layups before finding Rogers for another make to stretch the run to 16-0 and the lead to 56-42.
The Lady Crusaders worked the game back to within six by the end of the third quarter and got it to 68-64 with 8:45 remaining. Undaunted, Scottland turned a Rogers pass into a three to ignite another dominant stretch. DeWitt turned another Rogers pass into a layup. Rogers then drained another triple off a Scottland pass. A Smith make, a Rogers three and a Connell free throw capped the run at 15-0 and left Faulkner up 83-64, its largest lead of the night.
The Lady Eagles shot 48.4 percent from the field while both teams shot an identical 39.3 percent from beyond the arc. Faulkner won the rebounding battle 33-29 and took points in the paint 40-24.
Scottland ended with career highs in points and assists, tallying 26 and eight in the effort. Rogers added 17 points while Smith turned in a double-double at 10 points and 11 rebounds. DeWitt's 14 points put her at 1,809 in her career, making her just the second Lady Eagle to reach the 1,800-point plateau.
The win marks the first for the Lady Eagles against William Carey since Dec. 4, 2023 and their first over a team ranked in the NAIA Top 25 since Jan. 25, 2024.
Faulkner (17-7, 11-4 SSAC) returns to action Saturday at noon when it hosts No. 19 Loyola for Senior Day.
