MONTGOMERY, Ala
. — William Carey women's basketball came up short on the road Thursday night, falling to Faulkner University 90–82 inside Tine Davis Gymnasium.
The opening quarter set the tone for a fast-paced, back-and-forth contest. Morgan Holland DeWitt knocked down the first three of the night, but Carey's
Alyssa Hillard responded immediately from deep, and the teams traded baskets throughout the period.
Addyson Sherer and
Brooklyn Cuevas each connected from long range to help the Lady Crusaders build a 23–20 lead with two minutes left, but Faulkner closed the quarter strong at the free-throw line to take a 26–23 edge.
Hillard opened the second quarter with another three to tie the game, and Carey continued to battle as Faulkner pushed ahead 35–30 midway through the frame. Over the next minute, Sherer and
Charlie Gamberine each buried threes to pull Carey within one at 39–38.
A jumper by
Leah Sutton tied the game at 40 with two minutes remaining. Hillard followed with a layup to briefly give Carey the lead, but the Lady Eagles answered with back-to-back threes to close the half, carrying a 46–42 advantage into the break.
Faulkner extended its momentum early in the third quarter, opening with a 12–0 run to push the lead into double digits. A three from
Bailey Devall finally ended the drought, and later in the period, a pair of free throws and a Cuevas triple trimmed the deficit to 61–56. Despite Carey's push, the Lady Eagles held steady and took a 66–60 lead into the fourth.
The Lady Crusaders struck quickly to open the final quarter with buckets from
Shaneal Corpuz and Devall, but Faulkner answered with a decisive 15–0 run that stretched the lead to 83–64 with five minutes left. Carey continued to battle, but the early surge proved too much to overcome as Faulkner secured the 90–82 victory.
Corpuz led Carey with 15 points, while Hillard and Sherer each added 13. Cuevas finished with 13 points and Devall contributed 10.
William Carey returns to action on Saturday, February 14, to take on Mobile in SSAC play. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m.
