Montgomery, Alabama – What started out as a close game quickly turned into an uphill battle for our Lady Eagles. At the beginning of the 2^nd quarter our Lady Eagles led Faulkner 25-16. Faulkner created some distance from the Eagles after a 16 point run. Faulkner's run and strong performance in the 3^rd quarter were enough to secure their victory over the Lady Eagles in tonight's first season game.

Our Lady Eagles came out strong in the first quarter scoring 18 points off of 5 three pointers and several put backs. Faulkner trailed by 4 points and finished with 14 in the first quarter. The Lady Eagles' shots were falling and the game appeared to be in their favor.

The Lady Eagles started the second quarter off with a 7 point run creating some space between them and Faulkner. Faulkner answered back with a full court press against the Lady Eagles that forced 9 turnovers which led to scoring opportunities. Once Faulkner switched to a full court press the Lady Eagles had difficulty finding opportunities to score. The Lady Eagles also fell into foul trouble early after Sandy McElhaney, Hope Baker, and Lauran Alvarez all landed 3 fouls before the end of the first half. Faulkner ended the 2^nd quarter with a 2 point lead over the Lady Eagles 27-25.

Faulkner took control of the game in the 3^rd quarter by taking charge of the paint where they scored 16 of their 29 points against the Lady Eagles. The Lady Eagles ended Faulkner's 16 point run when Emma Hardy broke the Lady Eagles' drought with a 3 pointer. With 7 minutes left in the 3^rd quarter the Lady Eagles trailed by 10 points 28-38. Sandy McElhaney and Caitlyn Benedik brought the Lady Eagles a boost of energy after scoring several mid-range jumpers and fast break layups. The Lady Eagles finished the 3^rd quarter 34 to 56.

Going into the 4^th quarter the Lady Eagles knew they had to step up their defense after Faulkner scored 29 points in the 3^rd. The Lady Eagles tightened up their defense and managed to hold Faulkner to just 9 points in the 4^th quarter. Sandy McElhaney, Sindy McElhaney, and Caitlyn Benedik kept the Lady Eagles' offense alive in the 4^th by scoring a combined 15 points. Caitlyn Benedik (11) and Sandy McElhaney (10) led the Lady Eagles offense with a combined 21 points. Although the Lady Eagles stepped up their defense in the 4^th quarter they were unable to comeback from Faulkner's strong performance in the 3^rd quarter.

The Lady Eagles finished tonight with their first non-conference loss of the season against a strong NAIA Faulkner University.

Next game is Friday, November 1^st against Enterprise State Community College in Enterprise, AL.