FAULKNER 70, MOUNTAIN STATE 69
By Wesley Lyle
Montgomery Advertiser
| Richarde McCray had 16 points and eight rebounds to lead Faulkner, which is ranked 23rd in NAIA, to a 70-69 win over fourth-ranked Mountain State on Monday at Tine Davis Gymnasium. |
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-- Zach Long |
Faulkner kept its record perfect with an upset win against fourth-ranked Mountain State Monday night.
The Eagles scored with 12 seconds left and blocked a Cougar shot at the buzzer to pull out a 70-69 victory.
Junior Richarde McCray said the Eagles "knew" they could beat Mountain State.
"We came out knowing we can play with anybody," McCray said. "This was a big one, but it's just one game. We've got a lot of games ahead of us and we need to keep playing strong."
McCray's go-ahead bucket put the 23rd-ranked Eagles in front and Jon Uriarte's block sealed the hard-fought win.
"We had called a couple of things and Richarde was able to slip through," Faulkner coach Jim Sanderson said. "I think they were afraid to foul at that point and the ball just trickled in.
"Jon's block was huge. That finished the game."
Sanderson said he has been impressed with his team's performance so far this season.
"I can't say enough about this group," Sanderson said. "They've already gone beyond my expectations in some areas. We just need to keep building."
Neither team could take control of the game. In a game that featured 17 lead changes, the two teams battled evenly. The largest lead for either team was six points.
"The lead never stretched to more than six points," Sanderson said. "It was just a good small college basketball game."
The last lead change was the biggest for the Eagles (6-0). With less than 15 seconds remaining and Mountain State (6-1) leading 69-68, Faulkner got the ball to McCray.
Two defenders seperated McCray from the basket but the Marietta, Ga., native drove and went up.
"That was all I could do," McCray said. "I couldn't pass the ball, so I had to go up. I was trying to either draw the foul or make the basket."
McCray finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Uriarte added 13 points and six boards.
The Cougars' Ralph Legg led all scorers with 17 points, Paul Wright followed with 16 and Ermin Tarzin had 11 points and eight rebounds.
Faulkner carried a 37-35 lead into the half and extended it to 43-37 minutes into the second half. For the final 17 minutes, the game remained a five-point game or less.
The Eagles trailed by three with a little more than a minute to play before a pair of Bryant Murray free throws made it a one-point game.