MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- In their first regular season game, the Covenant men's basketball team dropped to 0-1 in a 114-63 loss to Faulkner.

Will Crumly led Covenant with 19 points and seven rebounds. Luke Touliatos added 10 points, and Chris Barnette and Brady Palmer both added eight. But, it was not enough as Faulkner shot 66 percent from the field.  

The Eagles came out fast, jutting out with a 9-2 lead in the first three minutes of play. Leading scorer Jordan Hamlette, who finished with 21 points (8-of-8 from the floor), had 10 of Faulkner's first 12 points. Covenant had several early good looks from behind the arc but struggled to connect, shooting 3-of-13 from 3-point territory in the first half.

Coming off the bench, Touliatos gave the Scots a much-needed boost, as he hit a jumper and dished out an assist to Crumly at the 14:23 mark, cutting the lead to eight. Covenant stayed within 10 points of the Eagles until C.J. Williamson scored in the paint with about seven minutes to go in the half, making it 37-24.

From there, the Eagles would outscore the Scots 15-12, including an off-balance three at the buzzer from Derek Murphy, putting Faulkner up 52-36 at the half.

At the start of the second half, Covenant seemed to find some of its normal shooting luster, coming out with a quick five points from a Crumly layup and a three by Touliatos. Palmer also knocked down two from 3-point land. 

But, the Eagles soon followed suit.

Garrett Sanderson quickly answered with nine points of his own, including two 3-pointers and three free throws off of a fouled attempt. He finished 3-5 from behind the arc with 20 points. C.J. Williamson also had the hot hand with 18 points, finishing 7-of-9 from the field. 

From there, it was all Faulkner, as they finished the last seven minutes of the games on a 24-5 run, giving them their largest lead of 51 points. 

Covenant went 7-of-27 from behind the arc and shot 38 percent from the field, while the Eagles shot 61 percent from 3-point land. 

UP NEXT

Covenant will play Tuesday, December 8 against East Texas Baptist at Belhaven University. Tip-off in Jackson, Miss., is set for 4 p.m. EST (3 p.m. CST).

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