Slow Start, Late Lapse Dooms Bulldogs in Loss to Faulkner

By Scott C. Wallace

Wallace Media Group

MONTGOMERY, Ala.—Blake Goodman 29 of his 36 points, and Jayden Lockett scored 15 of his 21 in a second-half onslaught, but it was not enough as the Fisk University Bulldogs fell on the road to the Faulkner University Eagles 89-84 in non-conference play. The Bulldogs went up by eight on a Goodman layup with 8:57 to go in regulation but were outscored 33-19 the rest of the way.

"Giving up 89 points is not what we want to do," said Bulldog head coach Kenny Anderson. "We dug ourselves a hole, but we fought back. I liked how the second half went. The game is 40 minutes, not 20. We will return to the lab and fix some of those issues."

The Eagles were tough at home last season, going 15-2. The slow first-half start put the Bulldogs in a hole, as they went down by as many as 14 points.  Fisk clawed back and cut the score to 36-32 on two Justin McNelkan free throws with 27 seconds remaining in the half. A putback by Eagle post T.J. Williams at the buzzer gave Faulkner a six-point lead at the break. Tyon Thompson's ten points and McNelkan had nine to lead the Bulldogs in the first half.

Goodman and Lockett then took over, bringing the Bulldogs all the way back. With the Eagles up by eight, Goodman's and one at the 18:27 mark got Fisk rolling. A Lockett steal and coast-to-coast layup followed by a three-point bucket by the Nashville native made the score 45-44 Faulkner, forcing an Eagle timeout.

Lockett's bucket and rebound on the ensuing possession set up Goodman's basket to give Fisk their first lead of the game. This started a 10-3 Bulldog run to provide a 46-45 lead. Goodman and Lockett both had five points during the run.

After Jayden Cooper hit a three-point shot to give the Eagles the lead again, Goodman and Lockett combined on another ten points in a 10-3 run on a Lockett layup to give Fisk a 56-51 lead with 12:08 to go. Faulkner chipped away at the lead and cut it to one. Goodman then scored five points in a 7-0 run to give the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game at eight.

Faulkner went on a 10-1 to get back in the game. Goodman scored four points on a mid-range shot and a dunk to give the Bulldogs a three-point lead. A Cooper three tied the game, but it was quickly answered by a three by Lockett on an assist from Chris Spears Jr.

With the game tied at 73, a controversial play happened at the 3:46 mark. Goodman's long jumper that looked like a three-point shot was called a two-pointer. From there, the Eagles scored the following eight points to go up 83-77. Goodman tried to rally his team back, hitting his fifth three-pointer of the game. Faulkner went five of six from the free throw line down the stretch to keep Fisk at bay.

Michael Ansley had a game-high 13 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Thompson finished with 14 points. Cooper led the five Eagles in double figures with 25 points in the freshman's first college game. Jonathon Garcia added 23 points, going 10 of 10 from the charity stripe. Sean McCurdy added 12, while Williams and Victor Munuz chipped in ten apiece.

Next Up:

Fisk will be back in action when they travel down the street to take on Tennessee State University in the Battle of Jefferson Street on November 6.