Faulkner State’s David Johnson sank only two of four free throws in the last 29.7 seconds of the game last Thursday night, but they were enough insurance after the Sun Chiefs held G.C. Wallace-Selma scoreless in last 44.8 seconds of a 64-61 home-court win.

The Patriots closed to within a point, 62-61 when Jeremiah Witt converted a three-point play with 44.8 seconds left. Johnson sank the second of two free throws after drawing the Patriots’ 10th team foul, then made the first of two charity shots with 5.1 seconds remaining after Witt missed on a driving bank-hook attempt and Johnson grabbed the rebound.

The Sun Chiefs’ fifth win in a row and eighth in nine games improved coach Jack Robertson’s Sun Chiefs to 9-9 overall and 3-1 in Alabama Community College Conference South Division play. Johnson was one of four FSCC players to score in double figures, finishing with a team-high 13 points.

Freshman backup forward Jeff Lewis gave Robertson another strong outing off the bench with 12 points, four assists and a steal in 23:28 of playing time. Starters Paul Holmes and Jonathon Moore scored 10 points each.

Moore, Holmes, Johnson and Alex Easterling had six rebounds each. Faulkner out-rebounded GCW 44-39 live-ball rebounds. Lewis and Grant had four assists each and helped FSCC to a 20-12 assist-to-turnovers night, a stat that Robertson said is as important to him as any.

“It night not have looked prety at times, but there’s no such thing as an ugly win,” the veteran of nearly four decades at FSCC said. “We missed a lot of easy shots in the first half and we may be a little tired We have p[layed a lot of basketball in the last week.”

The game was Faulkner’s fourth in seven days and, counting a January-opening exhibition against Gordon College in Barnesville, Ga., its ninth in 18 days. Five of them were played on the road, including four straight from Jan. 14-20.

“I guess if you’re looking for an excuse, that would be it, but we don’t look for excuses. They’re on the schedule, so you’ve gotta go out and play them,” Robertson said of FSCC’s busy early Jamnuary slate of games.

Wallace-Selma led only once at 8-7 with 13:03 left in the first half after scoring six straight points. Holmes put Faulkner ahead to stay moments later. and the Sun Chiefs built a 10-point, 23-13 lead when Terrence Mitchell sank a right-corner 3-point field goal and was fouled by GCW’s Alfred Smith 7:08 before halftime.

Mitchell missed the free throw, then the Patriots reeled off another six-straight points and kept the game close for most of the remainder of the game.

FSCC pushed the lead back to 10 points, 38-28 less than five minutes into the second half on Johnson’s in-close bank shot, and again at 52-42 with 9:09 to go on Cedric Freeman’s layup. GCW closed to 59-58 on two free throws by Kent Jones with 3:39 left, but never could pull even again.

Whitt led the Patriots with 12 points and six assists. Jones and Patrick Delaine scored 10 points each. Chris Walker had eight rebounds. GCW did manage to snap Faulkner’s four-game stretch of shooting at least 50 percent on field goals. The Sun Chiefs finished 24-for-65 for 36.9 percent. FSCC outscored Wallace-Selma 15-6 in second-chance points, including 10-4 in the second half.