Leary basket saves Lady Eagles in fight-marred battle with Mariners

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (faulknereagles.com)- China Leary’s 18-footer from the baseline with 9.6 seconds left proved to be the winning basket for Faulkner in its 45-44 victory over Coastal Georgia here Thursday night. Unfortunately, those in attendance will most remember what happened after the tie-breaking shot in this Southern States Athletic Conference slugfest at Tine Davis Gymnasium.

As the teams retreated down the floor after Leary’s bucket gave the Lady Eagles a 45-43 lead, a fight broke out near midcourt between Faulkner’s Taylor Jones and Coastal Georgia’ Ashanti Groover. Both teams had players leave their respective benches to join the fisticuffs on the court. Once order was settled, it took officials and game administrators almost a half hour to sort out the melee.

Ejected from the game were Faulkner’s Jones, Olivia Adamson, Erichea Barnes and Inga Armstrong, and Coastal Georgia’s Groover, Jamila Mayfield, Breanna Walker and Anissa Toumi. Further suspensions and punishment could come after the game film is reviewed by university administrators and the SSAC office.

After the technicals were assessed, with on-the-floor fighting technicals carrying more weight then leaving-the-bench technicals, the Mariners were given two free throws. Janne Tullius made 1-of-2 attempts to trim the lead to 45-44. With only seven players available to play on Thursday night, Coastal Georgia was left with only three after the ejections. With five Faulkner players providing pressure, the Mariners turned the ball over on the ensuing possession. The Lady Eagles’ China Leary was fouled with five seconds left, but missed both free throws. Coastal Georgia’s final chance was fumbled out of bounds, with the turnover sealing the wild finish for Faulkner.

“I am embarrassed by our actions and deeply regret that it happened,” Faulkner head coach Reed Sutton said. “It obviously leaves a black mark on what was a hard-fought defensive standoff and an otherwise outstanding SSAC game.”

The Lady Eagles (13-14 overall, 9-8 SSAC) appeared safe when Adamson’s layup gave Faulkner a 41-33 lead with 5:03 left. Faulkner still led 43-37 with 1:59 to play before two free throws by Groover, a basket by Schyler Miller and another by Mayfield tied the game at 43 with 59 seconds on the clock. Barnes missed a 3-point try with 31 seconds left, but Adamson grabbed an offensive rebound for Faulkner to set the stage for the frantic finish.

Barnes had 13 points for Faulkner, which also got 11 from Adamson and 10 from Faith LeGate. Adamson and LeGate had double-doubles, with both adding 11 rebounds. Coastal Georgia (11-16 overall, 6-11 SSAC) was led by Mayfield’s 18 points Toumi’s 10. Neither team had a good night shooting the basketball, with the Lady Eagles making just 21 percent of their shots to the Mariners’ 26 percent.

Both teams got off to slow starts, with Faulkner finally showing signs of warming up. After a scoreless first four minutes, Barnes staked the Lady Eagles to the lead with three 3-pointers in a four-possession stretch. The last long-range connection put Faulkner on top 16-6, and Adamson’s second 3-pointer of the half pushed the margin to 21-6 early in the second period. With neither team having much success from the field, the Lady Eagles’ six makes from behind the arc helped the hosts build a 26-14 lead at the break.

The Lady Eagles will celebrate Senior Day when Brewton-Parker visits Tine Davis Gymnasium Saturday for the regular season finale. The game tips off at 2 p.m.