MONTGOMERY, Ala. – UT Southern men's basketball earned a gritty conference road win Saturday afternoon, knocking off Faulkner 68–66 inside Tine Davis Gymnasium. The Firehawks dominated the first half, built a 17-point second-half lead, and survived a furious late push to improve to 5–3 overall and 1–1 in SSAC play.

FIRST HALF – UTS SETS THE TONE
Faulkner struck first with an early three, but UT Southern responded immediately. Antonio Cochran drilled a three at 18:29, then followed with a transition layup to put UTS ahead 5–3. Moments later, Mike Bell, Jr. found Cochran for another three, sparking the game's first big run.

From there, the Firehawks took complete control. Eric Robinson scored on a driving layup, JaMil Wilson added a finish inside, and Baldwin converted in transition after a steal to extend the lead to 15–6. Baldwin then went to work, scoring five straight points to push the margin to 21–10 before adding another layup at the 7:56 mark.

Luke Lentz came off the bench and sparked the wing defense, while Cochran and Bell, Jr. continued to generate clean looks. A late layup from Baldwin and a free throw by Robinson sent UT Southern into halftime firmly in control, up 33–19.

SECOND HALF – FIREHAWKS BUILD BIG LEAD, THEN HOLD ON
Baldwin opened the second half with a layup, and after a Wilson bucket and a Bell, Jr. jumper, the Firehawks maintained a double-digit cushion. Cochran then buried a three off a Baldwin assist at 16:27 to stretch the advantage to 42–29.

UTS pushed its largest lead to 17 when Cochran hit another three at the 14:12 mark, making it 50–33. Moments later, Lentz knocked down a three from the right side to keep momentum in UTS's favor.

But Faulkner mounted a late charge. Over the final four minutes, UT Southern's lead slowly tightened as the Eagles hit a series of tough baskets, cutting it to 63–56 after a layup with 3:08 to go. Baldwin answered with a strong drive to make it 63–56, but Faulkner continued to claw back.

With under a minute remaining, the Eagles hit a deep three and then tied the game at 66–66 with 17 seconds left.

UT Southern delivered at the buzzer. After the Firehawks executed a sideline out-of-bounds set, Bell, Jr.'s drive drew defenders, freeing Kiah Key under the rim. Key secured an offensive rebound off Bell's missed layup and finished the putback as time expired, giving UT Southern a dramatic 68–66 victory.

FIREHAWK STAT LEADERS
UT Southern put together one of its most balanced efforts of the season:

• De'Marreon Baldwin – 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and the defensive anchor throughout
• Antonio Cochran – 16 points (4-of-7 from three), 6 rebounds
• Mike Bell, Jr. – 10 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds
• Eric Robinson – 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
• JaMil Wilson – 7 points on perfect 3-of-3 shooting with 4 rebounds
• Daniel Reyes – 3 points, 2 rebounds
• Luke Lentz, Ryan Dunn, and Kiah Key combined for key moments off the bench, with Key scoring the game-winning basket

UT Southern shot 49.0% from the field, 36.8% from three, and owned a 35–32 edge on the glass. The Firehawks led for more than 37 minutes and held Faulkner to just 18.5% shooting in the first half.

Team Stats by Half

Full Game Comparison

UT Southern (5–3, 1–1 SSAC) returns to action on Monday, November 25, traveling to take on North Alabama in an exhibition contest.