LEBANON, Tenn. – Jake Mitchell’s driving layup with 3.1 seconds left put 21st-ranked Faulkner ahead and Charles Stewart was not able to get a shot off before the buzzer in a 67-65 Cumberland loss here Monday night at the Dallas Floyd Recreation Center.

The Bulldogs (5-6) lost for the second time this season to the Eagles (13-2) after a 74-57 defeat in Montgomery in the first game of the season for CU on November 2. Cumberland led just twice in the game, both in the first 90 seconds, and trailed 65-55 with 3:51 remaining after a three-point play by Cyrille Sandjon.

But Faulkner missed its next four shots and committed two of the club’s 20 turnovers over the next three-plus minutes, allowing CU to tie the contest with a 10-0 spurt. Terry Williams’ offensive rebound that turned into a three-point play started the run, E.J. Perry hit one of his three 3-pointers and Stewart and Brian Blackmon both made tough layups in traffic, the second one from Blackmon knotting the score at 65 with 26.9 seconds remaining.

The Eagles called timeout and worked the ball around until Mitchell got it back near halfcourt with about 10 seconds left. He beat his defender and went all the way down the lane for the layup, his only points of the game, putting Faulkner ahead with 3.1 seconds left. After a CU timeout Stewart took the ball coast-to-coast but was unable to get a shot off before the final horn, the club’s fourth loss this season by eight points or less with three of those against ranked opponents.

Blackmon came off the bench to lead the Bulldogs with 14 points, hitting 6-of-12 shots. Stewart finished with 12 points, five rebounds and seven assists while Perry chipped in 11 points.

Sandjon led all scorers with 23 points, going 11-of-19 from the field along with eight rebounds for the Eagles. Jamarious Alderson netted 18 points with a trio of trifectas. Faulkner outrebounded CU, 40-27, scoring 13 second-chance points and holding a 36-24 advantage on points in the paint as well.

The Bulldogs scored just 22 seconds into the contest on a Daniel McFadden layup but then went more than seven minutes without a field goal, hitting just four free throws during that stretch. CU made just five of its first 19 shots from the field through the second media timeout and trailed 26-14 with 5:15 left in the half.

But the home team found an offensive rhythm in the closing minutes of the period, with Perry’s 3-pointer from the corner after a timeout igniting a 15-9 run to close the half. Elijah Gillis made a baseline jumper and a pair of free throws and Blackmon added a driving layup and a short jumper, as CU trailed 35-29 at the break.

Faulkner’s 11 turnovers kept the Bulldogs in the game, with the Eagles shooting 52 percent from the field compared to only 36 percent for Cumberland. Alderson netted 11 points in the period for the visitors while Gillis led CU with eight and Stewart added six.

Cumberland does not play again until January 3, returning to Mid-South Conference action at home against St. Catharine College at 8 p.m.