MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner held their two seed's billing and advanced to the SSAC Semifinals with a 76-62 win over the No. 10 seed Abraham Baldwin Thursday afternoon at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl fueled by a combined 37 from
Ella Jane Connell and
Morgan Holland DeWitt.
The Lady Eagles started on fire, dropping 19 points on 7-11 shooting in the first five minutes with the SSAC Sixth Woman of the Year, Connell, cashing in eight points, but the first quarter became the tale of two halves with the Fillies charging back for a 15-2 run to tie it at 21 after the first 10.
Connell's and-one conversion with 7:50 to go in the second quarter tied the contest again before knocking down a triple on the next possession. After a layup from Grace Ann Rose pushed the lead to five,
Addison Cantrell went on a personal 5-0 run getting a steal and the old-fashioned three point play and another layup to push it back to double digits as the Lady Eagles took a 38-31 lead into halftime.
The Lady Eagles got the lead up to 10 with 4:55 to go in the quarter, but ABAC continued to chip away with a 9-2 run to make it a one score game again before keeping it just a four point Faulkner lead going into the third.
Shakiria Chaney hit a layup for ABAC for her 27th point of the game with 9:09 to play to make it 62-59, but Faulkner defense stopped the Fillies there with Faulkner scoring the next 12 over a span of three minutes with seven from DeWitt, putting the game away with a 74-59 lead with five minutes to go.
Connell tied her career high with 19 points with DeWitt adding 18.
Ruthie Smith completed a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and added four assists.
Sydney Steward had the team high five assists
The Lady Eagles outscored the Fillies 34-12 in the paint while grabbing seven more rebounds.
Faulkner will take on No. 3 seeded and No. 24 in the NAIA UT Southern Friday at 1 p.m. for a spot in the semifinals.
