Bulldogs drop hoops opener

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Reserves Elijah Gillis and E.J. Perry each tallied a game-high 16 points in Cumberland's 74-57 season opening basketball loss to host Faulkner Friday night at the Jimmy Faulkner Classic.

The Bulldogs were held to 33-percent shooting from the field compared to 44 percent from the Eagles. FU earned 11 more foul shots on the night and also dealt out 17 assists to CU’s three. The Bulldogs did manage to outrebound the Eagles, 34 to 33, with 15 of those coming on the offensive end.

CU trailed early in the first half, falling behind 9-2, and was unable to stop the torrid three-point shooting of the Eagles, as they would hit six-of-seven beyond the arc within the first twenty minutes. Perry connected on three of his three-pointers before the break, with one coming with just under a minute to play and the Bulldogs trailing 38-27 to pull CU to within single digits. The Eagles then responded with a foul and a bucket with 3.7 seconds to go, and a rare miss from the line sent the Eagles into the locker room up 40-30 at the break.

In the second half, FU cooled down from deep but was able to score often inside, eventually building a 19 point lead late in the half. Cumberland closed the gap to 64-52 on a three-pointer by Daniel McFadden with under four minutes to play, but the Eagles hit foul shots down the stretch to wrap up the win.

McFadden contributed seven points for the Bulldogs, while Jerret Towns led the club in rebounds with six, and Charles Stewart and Gilles pulled down five apiece.

For Faulkner, Cyrille Sandjon scored 13 points and had five rebounds.

The Bulldogs will look for their first win tomorrow as they take on Auburn-Montgomery at 3 p.m. in the second and final day.