NAIA TOURNAMENT: Faulkner survives in OT
By: A. Stacy Long
Montgomery Advertiser
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Brandon Vaughn hit a tying 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left in regulation and Faulkner pulled away in overtime to beat San Diego Christian 86-76 late Thursday night.
The Eagles (22-10) advanced to the second round of the NAIA tournament and will play McKendree, Ill., at 9:45 p.m. today. McKendree (23-11) upset sixth-seeded Mountain State 86-80 on Thursday.
Faulkner had six players score in double figures to beat the 11th-seeded Hawks (24-6).
Richarde McCray finished with 17 points, while Bryant Murray had 16 and Vaughn 15. Josh Gholston added 12 and Jon Uriarte and Aaron Greenwood scored 10 each.
Drew Sanchez poured in 31 points for San Diego Christian, 19 of which came in the first half. Rory Morgan scored 21 points and All-American Rowan Gray had 13 points and eight rebounds.
The Eagles held the Hawks scoreless for 81/2 minutes of the second half and turned an eight-point deficit into a seven-point lead. Bryant Murray capped the 15-0 run with two free throws at the 7:34 mark to make it 58-51.
San Diego was 0-for-8 shooting, including a missed dunk by Gray, and committed seven turnovers during its drought. Gray fouled out in overtime.
While Faulkner shut down Gray in the first half, the Hawks were hot from the outside and built an eight-point halftime lead.
San Diego Christian drained five 3-pointers in the final 71/2 minutes, including two in a 10-1 run that gave them the lead.
Drew Sanchez was 8-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-4 on 3-pointers, and scored 19 points. Sanchez also had three assists. San Diego Christian made 8 of 16 3-pointers, while Faulkner was only 1-of-10, in the first half.
Gray had two points and one rebound at halftime. The senior entered the tournament averaging 15.1 points and 8.7 rebounds.
Faulkner and San Diego Christian, playing the final game Thursday, tipped off at 10:30 p.m. It ended at 12:25 a.m. today.