Ricky Sears scored 19 points with 5-of-8 3-point accuray as Dalton State improved to 16-1 in its inaugural basketball season Saturday with a 69-67 win over Faulkner.
Faulkner (9-5) is ranked No. 17 in NAIA Division I and is the defending champion of the Southern States Athletic Conference -- the league the Roadrunners are joining next year. Saturday's outcome made Dalton State 10-1 in games decided by eight or fewer points.
Anthony Hilliard and Erich Allen scored 14 and 13 points off the bench for the Roadrunners, who host Spring Hill at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center. Starters Preston Earle and Sean Tate had four and three steals with their nine and 10 points. Jake Mitchell and Stephen Strachan scored 15 points each for Faulkner.
The visiting Eagles led most of the game, but from a 42-36 deficit with 17:38 to go the Roadrunners took the lead for good on a Sears 3-pointer with 13:49 to go, and he made it 57-46 on another outside shot with 6:45 remaining. Faulkner went eight minutes without scoring in that stretch.
Bryan College won two close games in an Appalachian Athletic Conference doubleheader at Montreat, 71-70 for the Lady Lions (11-5, 6-1) and 82-79 in overtime for the Lions (8-8, 4-2). Montreat's men dropped to 10-7, 4-3 after the Lady Cavaliers fell to 7-8, 2-5.
* Tennessee Wesleyan 82, Hiwassee 81: At Athens, the Bulldogs -- who gave Dalton State its only loss -- barely survived an upset bid by the Tigers, as Devante' Jenkins scored 19 points, Tyler Burse had 17 points and 11 rebounds and Shannon Smith had 11 assists and three steals. Howie Meadows scored 18 points and Jeff Golden had 12 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals for Hiwassee.
* Tennessee Wesleyan (w) 85, Columbia 51: At Athens, Sarah McKinnon, Alli Moreland, Armeka Booker and Kelsey Young scored 14, 13, 12 and 11 points in the AAC romp for the Lady Bulldogs, while Cody Houck had 15 rebounds with nine points. Booker added eight rebounds and Courtney Gobble made three steals.
* Centre 48, Sewanee 46: At Danville, Ky., the host Colonels (8-3) held on for the win in the Southern Athletic Association opener, led by 10 points from Matt Gump and nine rebounds from Tyler Wesley. Jorden Williams scored 13 points and Keshonn Carter had 12 rebounds with 10 points for Sewanee (6-3).
* Centre (w) 67, Sewanee 34: The female Tigers shot 28.3 percent from the field and committed 31 turnovers, and their highest scorer was Kayla Sewell with seven points to go with her eight rebounds, two blocks and no turnovers. Casey Hassett had 13 rebounds and three blocks in defeat. Paige Baechle had 19 points, seven steals and seven rebounds for Centre.
* Averett 75, Covenant 64: At Covenant, Colton McGriff's 24 points and 11 rebounds weren't enough for the Scots to get a second USA South win in two days. Ben Phelps joined him in double figures with 12 points, while JaColby Hawkins led Averett with 16 and three of the visitors totaled 32 rebounds.
* Covenant (w) 75, Covenant 72: The Lady Scots won with balance, as Jessie Blankenship had 16 points and 12 rebounds, Kiaira Cooper and Morgan Woodward scored 14 points each and Alexis Storteboom and Aleigha Williams added 13 and 10. Cooper and Storteboom each grabbed eight rebounds, and Woodward had four assists.
Area College Summaries
Women's Games
COVENANT 75, AVERETT 72
Averett (1-6, 0-2 USA South)
Burns 11, Myers 11, Smith 10, Sollars 8, Jones 4, Garcia 15, Taylor 13, Andrews, Hardy.
Covenant (4-6, 1-1)
Cooper 14, Wooward 14, Williams 10, Storteboom 13, Blankenship 16, Dougherty 3, Soles 3, Doyle 2.
Halftime: 38-38.
CENTRE 67, SEWANEE 34
Sewanee (6-5, 0-1 SAA)
McDonough 2, Sewell 7, Lowe 1, Rose 3, Chauvin 6, Lyerly 5, Medley 6, Hassett 4, Culbertson, Jones.
Centre (7-5, 1-0)
Stough 6, Baechle 19, Hartlage 15, Rhule 2, Ala. Guy 2, Andreassen 4, Ale. Guy 6, Colliver 6, McKnight 3, Carrick 2, Alford, Asmus, Freed 2.
Halftime: Centre, 33-12.
TENNESSEE WESLEYAN 85, COLUMBIA 51
Columbia, S.C. (5-12, 1-6 AAC)
Smart 4, Gibson 8, Smith 2, Sobataka 7, Giles 15, Johnson 5, Outlaw 6, LeBlanc, Cruz 2, Bosman 2, Neale, Gilchrist, King-Sunson.
Tennessee Wesleyan (8-3, 5-2)
Houck 9, Buley 2, Gobble 7, Moreland 13, Booker 12, Lyness 9, Young 11, McKinnon 14, McWilliams 2, Hill, Williams, McAfee 6.
Halftime: Tennessee Wesleyan, 45-25.
Men's Games
AVERETT 75, COVENANT 64
Averett (3-7, 1-1 USA South)
West 11, Porter 6, Robinson 9, Garrison 7, Jones 8, Hawkins 16, Stephens 2, Bryant 5, Lopez 9, Pannell, Collins 2.
Covenant (6-6, 1-1)
Frierson 9, Turner 2, Boyd 3, Bell 3, McGriff 24, Ferguson, Phelps 12, Portlock 4, Garrett 2, Pearlman 2, Burns, Arima 3, den Dulk.
Halftime: Averett, 39-37.
CENTRE 48, SEWANEE 46
Sewanee (6-3, 0-1 SAA)
Carter 10, Brown 3, Williams 13, Cardwell 7, L. Born 2, Stone 2, Veal 2, Tome 7, C. Born, Arnold, Heatherly.
Centre (8-3, 1-0)
Wesley 1, Scinta 7, Lopez 6, Murray 5, Whiteside 8, Geegan 8, Karsner 3, Gump 10.
Halftime: Centre, 29-22.
TENNESSEE WESLEYAN 82, HIWASSEE 81
Hiwassee
Golden 12, Mack 7, Browner 11, Johnson 8, Davidson 11, Meadows 18, Bailey 9, Boyd 5.
Tennessee Wesleyan (8-7)
Jenkins 19, Hosey 12, Scofield 4, Smith 6, Burse 17, Davison 13, Turnipseed 8, Williams, Whitman 3, Weathers, Hayes.
Halftime: Hiwassee, 40-37.
DALTON STATE 69, FAULKNER 67
Faulkner (9-5)
Mitchell 15, Strachan 15, Alderson 12, Riley 11, Sandjon 5, Whitely 7, Madamidola, Salsanov, Waters 2, Anderson, Phillips.
Dalton State (16-1)
Sears 19, Tate 10, Earle 9, Jacobs 2, Mosley 2, Hilliard 14, Allen 13, D. Smith, Phillips.
Halftime: Faulkner, 37-34.