Faulkner Rallies Past Rams In SSAC Action

MOBILE, Ala-- The University of Mobile men's basketball team fell 58-64 to Faulkner University Thursday in SSAC action at Pharr Gym.

The Rams (13-15, 9-8) are 2nd in the SSAC West and will visit 1st place Loyola (18-9, 10-7) Saturday at 4 pm to close out the regular season.

Christian Salinas hit 4-of-7 from 3-point range to score 12 points for the Rams, while Antonio Hester added 12 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. Ji Kimbrough finished with 11 points for Mobile.

Chris Palmore led Faulkner with 16 points and 7 boards, while Adam Okechukwu added 12 points and 8 rebounds.

Faulkner out shot Mobile 48% to 36% from the field and held a 58% to 21% advantage in the second half.

The first half was all Mobile, as Hester scored nine seconds into the period and the Rams never trailed in the opening 20 minutes. Hester had nine points in the first 2:45 of action to build a 12-4 lead for Mobile. Up 20-17 with 9:58 left, Mobile went on a 13-2 run over the next 3:30 to grab a 14-point advantage as Jonathan Tinch scored to cap the run. The Rams led by as many as 18 in the half and went into the break with a 41-26 advantage.

The second half was a different story, as the Eagles opened with a 10-0 run in the first 3:15, thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from Jamarious Alderson. Faulkner then tied it at 52-52 with 5:59 to play on a bucket from Ayo Madamidola and took their first lead 54-52 at the 5:20 mark on a pair of free throws from Chris Palmore. With 3:20 remaining, the Eagles used a 5-0 spurt to build a 6-point advantage, and the Rams could not rebound.