MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Behind a dominant second-half surge and a balanced offensive attack, No. 24 UT Southern powered past No. 2 seed Faulkner, 81-67, Thursday afternoon at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl to advance to the SSAC Championship game.
With the win, the Firehawks improve to 22-5 on the season and punched their ticket to Saturday's title game by fighting through a rowdy, predominantly Faulkner-filled crowd that tried to swing momentum throughout the afternoon.
Faulkner came out firing early, knocking down their first three field goals to grab an 8-0 lead. Lauren Smith got UT Southern on the board with a layup off a feed from Silkiari Vazquez-Troche, and Abbilyn Teter buried a three-pointer to help settle the Firehawks. Ashley Dickey converted a late steal into a fast-break layup to cut the deficit to one, but Faulkner answered at the buzzer to take an 18-15 lead after one.
The Firehawks flipped the script in the second quarter. Dickey sparked the run with a steal and coast-to-coast finish to make it 17-18. After trading buckets, Taya Totten tied the game at 19-19 inside, and Dickey drained a three from the wing to give UT Southern a 23-21 edge.
Mycala Carney provided a huge lift off the bench, knocking down a pair of three-pointers during a key stretch. Emma Bryant drilled a three with seven seconds left in the half to send UT Southern into the break with a 34-31 advantage.
The third quarter proved to be the turning point.
After Faulkner briefly tied the game at 34-34, Dickey answered with a fast-break layup. Moments later, Ramie Reid knocked down a three-pointer, and Carney followed with another triple to stretch the margin. Reid struck again from deep at the 6:40 mark, pushing the lead to seven.
Vazquez-Troche controlled the tempo throughout the quarter, repeatedly finding shooters in rhythm. Carney capped the period with back-to-back fast-break layups, and Dickey buried a three in the closing seconds as the Firehawks exploded for 26 third-quarter points and built a 60-49 cushion heading to the fourth.
Faulkner made one final push midway through the fourth, trimming the deficit to six, but UT Southern answered every time. Smith scored inside and converted a pair of free throws to stretch the lead back to double digits. Reid added a layup in traffic, and Dickey attacked the rim for consecutive buckets to quiet the crowd.
In the closing seconds, Carney and Dickey calmly converted free throws, and Vazquez-Troche added two more at the line to seal the 81-67 victory.
Dickey led the way with 25 points, five assists and a team-high seven steals, going 9-of-20 from the field and 5-of-6 at the free-throw line. Carney poured in 20 points off the bench, knocking down four three-pointers and adding three steals.
Vazquez-Troche orchestrated the offense with 13 assists while adding seven rebounds and five points. Reid contributed eight points and four rebounds, including two three-pointers. Teter finished with seven points, while Smith added six points and four assists. Totten chipped in five points and four rebounds off the bench, and Bryant added three points on her first-half triple.
The appearance marks the first time the Firehawks have advanced to the SSAC Championship game since the 2020 season, when they fell to nationally ranked No. 6 Bethel, 65-59, prior to the NAIA National Championship being prematurely cancelled due to COVID.
UT Southern will now face the winner of No. 1 seed and No. 16 Loyola or No. 4 seed and No. 25 William Carey in the SSAC Championship game tomorrow, February 28, at 4 p.m., with the conference title on the line.
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