MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Less than 24 hours after suffering a heartbreaking overtime loss, the Martin Methodist Women's Basketball team responded with one of its biggest regular seasons in program history as it knocked off No. 14 Faulkner (Ala.) University 91-84 Saturday night.
In a game that saw 10 ties and 12 lead changes, the RedHawks (6-2, 1-1 SSAC) scratched out a 44-42 halftime lead before outscoring the Eagles (3-2, 1-1) by five points in the second half to claim the seven-point victory.
With the win, the RedHawks notched one of their biggest regular season victories in program history – and perhaps the biggest road win ever.
The RedHawks upset then-No. 13 Bethel (Tenn.) University last season, 68-59 in the Curry Christian Life Center.
The RedHawks used a strong mixture of sharp shooting, defensive intensity and solid rebounding to spring the upset over the preseason conference favorites.
"What a great win for us today," RedHawks head coach Jamy Bechler said. "Faulkner is a very good team. They are deserving of their national ranking. They are well-coached and have a good deal of talent. However, our players really stepped up, both in our offensive execution and rebounding. This is a terrific win for our program."
Rachel Brown, Nina Mills and Kelsey Nowlin all led the offensive charge for the RedHawks, scoring 25, 22 and 21 points, respectively.
The trio combined to sink 23 made field goals, but also turned in a strong effort at the free throw line, sinking 20-of-23 foul shots as a collective unit.
Janasia Williams also finished in double figures, scoring 12 points. The freshman also hauled in 10 rebounds to record her fourth double-double of the season.
Brown tracked down a team-high 11 rebounds for her second double-double this season. Both Brown and Williams notched double-doubles in the team's heartbreaking overtime loss at Auburn (Ala.) University-Montgomery Friday night.
As a team, the RedHawks outrebounded the Eagles, 49-28 and used their 19 offensive rebounds to record 19 second chance points.
Despite just seven assists, the RedHawks used a pesky defensive effort to frustrate the Eagles and force 18 turnovers that led directly to 16 points.
With the win, the RedHawks evened their conference mark at 1-1 and continued the team's best start to a season since the 2008-09 campaign.
The RedHawks will return to action Nov. 19 when they host Fisk (Tenn.) University in a non-conference matchup.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. in the Curry Christian Life Center.
