Faulkner Crowned SSAC Champions with 67-64 Win over Stillman

No. 1 seed Faulkner (Ala.) def. No. 2 seed Stillman (Ala.) 67-64 to win the 2021 SSAC Men’s Basketball Championship, presented by Newk’s Eatery.

The title is Faulkner’s fifth SSAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship all-time and first since 2016. Both teams receive an automatic bid to the 2021 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship Opening Round May 12-13, and Faulkner will host an Opening Round.

Stat Leaders

• Stillman won the rebounding battle 46-32, but Faulkner committed only eight turnovers and knocked down 7-of-20 triples, compared to 5-of-26 for the Tigers
• Faulkner got 17 points and six rebounds from Austin Rogers, 21 points from Jordan Hamlette and 11 points and 11 boards from C.J. Williamson
• Stillman got 15 points from Devin Merriweather, 12 points and 13 rebounds from Roger Davis and eight points and 10 boards from Trey Petty

Noteworthy

• The opening half was tight for the first 10 minutes, but Faulkner then turned an 18-17 deficit into a 37-20 lead in the span of 6:54, capped by five-straight points from Rogers
• In the second half, Stillman used a 14-3 run to pull within 48-47 with 10:54 left. But, Faulkner held serve the rest of the way and maintained the lead, capped by Hamlette knocking down a pair of free throws with 18 seconds left