With under a minute and a half left on the clock, the score was tied and shots weren’t falling for either team. Wallace’s Jaquetta Street got the ball down low, curled around three defenders and connected on a hook shot that ultimately decided the outcome of the game.

“She came up big on that shot. When she made that basket, that was the spark,” said Wallace women’s head coach Herman Turner.

The Wallace Community College Selma women’s basketball team came back to defeat Faulkner State 70-65 Thursday at Wallace. Ki’Onna Likely led the way for Wallace with 25 points in a game that was in Faulkner State’s favor for a large chunk of time.

After ending the first quarter with a 19-17 lead, Wallace lost a lead to Faulkner State in the second quarter, as the Patriots fell behind 27-20. Rolanda Pope responded for Wallace with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 27-23. Street followed up with a pair of layups to keep the Faulkner State lead at four.

Wallace let the Faulkner State lead slip to double digits, but Likely and Frenika Craig kept the game from getting out of hand before halftime. Likely stole the ball and drove for a fastbreak layup with 1:40 left in the first half to drop the Faulkner State lead to 43-33. With 30 seconds left in the half, Craig made two layups just seconds apart as she managed to steal an inbound pass.

Faulkner State led Wallace 47-39 at halftime.

Down by eight points in the third quarter, Craig scored on a fastbreak layup to bring Wallace to trail just 55-49. Likely added another layup soon after to pull her team within four points, down 57-53.

The Patriots still trailed late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter, but a fourth-quarter 3-pointer from Craig helped give Wallace a chance to tie the game. With 3:55 remaining, Likely did just that with a layup to tie the score at 64-64.

Over two minutes of missed shots by both teams ensued before Street hit her layup to give Wallace a 66-64 lead. Craig helped to ice the game at the foul line as Wallace won despite trailing throughout most of the game.

“They missed quite a few free throws at the line, and I think that cost the team. I guess we were in a little bit better shape than they were,” Turner said.

 

Faulkner State 77, Wallace 72 (Men’s)

Wallace Community College Selma’s men’s basketball team didn’t lead the entire game and trailed by double digits throughout a majority of the game, but the Patriots still did all they could to ensure they would walk out of their gym with a win.

Ultimately, Wallace’s comeback bid fell just short as the Patriots dropped 77-72 to Faulkner State Thursday at Wallace. The Wallace men’s basketball team trailed Faulkner State 26-7 in the first half, but managed to pull within 72-70 with just over 30 seconds left in the game.

Even though Wallace couldn’t come back from a nearly 20-point deficit, Patriots head coach Duane Evans said he is proud of the way his team fought back.

“We saw some things in the first half that were going our way and we made some key adjustments in the locker room and I think those adjustments that we made in the locker room at halftime came out to really benefit us,” Evans said.

Donevan Waldrop hit four first-half 3-pointers to keep Faulkner State from putting the game away before the second half began. He led the Patriots with 15 points, all from the 3-point line.

Gene Davis hit a pair of two-point shots in the first half, and the Patriots eventually fought off the sluggish start to trail just 40-27 at halftime.

Edward Leggett dropped the Faulkner State lead to single digits when he knocked down a 3-pointer with 12 minutes left in the second half to make it 55-46. Montego Hoskins hit a 3-pointer directly afterward to bring the Patriots within six points of tying the game.

Faulkner State took a nine-point lead again, as Wallace trailed 64-53 with seven minutes left to play. Down 64-53, Davis drove into the lane and got fouled. Davis connected on a three-point play, and then Anfernee Simmons got fouled knocking down a corner 3-pointer to cut the lead to 64-59.

Faulkner State tried to pull away for good, but two Hoskins two-point shots eventually brought Wallace to within two points of the lead with under a minute to play.