MONTGOMERY, Ala. – After going more than two years without a victory over a nationally-ranked opponent, Faulkner got its second such win in less than 48 hours Saturday afternoon. The Lady Eagles clamped down defensively in the second half to pull away from No. 19 Loyola for a 72-54 win.
Faulkner held tightly to a 35-33 halftime lead before locking everything down in the third quarter and limiting Loyola to just four points in the period on 2-of-19 shooting. The Lady Eagles countered with a 16-point effort of their own in the frame, highlighted by a 12-0 run. That stretch started with an
Ella Jane Connell jumper from the right elbow before
Morgan Holland DeWitt converted a layup off a
Keyarra Scottland assist. After a pair of Connell free throws, the senior guard from Prattville knocked down a three with 4:44 left. Then she converted the most remarkable shot of the afternoon. With two seconds left on the shot clock, Connell caught the ball with her back to the basket well beyond the left wing. She turned underneath the defender and launched an off-balance prayer that ripped through the net for three. The shot put her at a career high 19 points.
Loyola made a 14-point deficit nearly disappear to start the fourth quarter, using its tenacity on the offensive glass to create second-chance opportunities. The Wolf Pack went to the line four times and converted seven free throws in the first 2:03 of the quarter, slicing the deficit to 51-45.
Faulkner answered with an 8-0 run of its own that had less to do with offensive efficiency than it did with sheer force of will. The definitive sequence of the game featured no points and five offensive rebounds.
Sydney Steward grabbed a defensive rebound to give Faulkner possession up 12 with 3:22 to go.
Addison Cantrell grabbed an offensive board eight seconds later before getting another at the 2:37 mark. DeWitt grabbed an offensive board with 2:16 to play and missed the putback.
Ruthie Smith then slid onto the floor amid four Loyola players to grab a fourth offensive rebound in the sequence and send it back out to her guards. By the time Steward rebounded her own missed jumper for the fifth offensive board of the trip, Loyola was forced to start fouling with just 1:45 left on the clock. The effort allowed the Lady Eagles to burn 97 seconds off the clock on a single possession.
Faulkner shot 36.8 percent from the floor in the game and held the Wolf Pack to 27.4. The Lady Eagles won the rebounding battle 41-28 and held the lead for nearly 72 percent of the game.
Connell's 19 points led all scorers. Scottland added 11 points while DeWitt had 11 to go along with six rebounds, making her the second player in program history to grab 1,000 rebounds in a career. Steward finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Faulkner (18-7, 12-4 SSAC) hosts Dillard Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. before traveling to Mobile Saturday, Feb. 21 for a noon tip in the regular season finale.
