Fulton ended the game on a 14-2 run over the final 3 minutes as the Hornets rallied for a 68-61 NCMC win over the Moberly Spartans on Friday night at Roger D. Davis Gymnasium.
Fulton trailed 59-54 when it initiated its critical outburst. Junior guard AJ Reid knocked down two free throws with 1:54 left to put the Hornets in front to stay at 61-59.
Fulton improved to 14-1 on the season and stayed perfect in the North Central Missouri Conference with a 7-0 mark.
"Defensive stops, rebounds and big free throws down the stretch helped us tie the game and eventually pull out the victory," Hornets head coach Justin Gilmore said.
Fulton was down 21-15 after one quarter, but outscored Moberly 22-15 in the second quarter to take a 37-36 edge into the break. Both teams tallied 15 points in the third quarter, but the Hornets came up with the last four of the period to go on top 52-51.
Senior guard Makygh Galbreath logged a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds to direct four players in double figures for Fulton. Senior forward Cameron Vaughn supplied 15 points and Reid finished with 13.
Senior forward Lecheyon Williams also provided a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. Williams handed out six assists.
"Our guys fought all night to keep us in the game against a really good Moberly team," Gilmore said. "It was a back-and-forth game and we were able to get timely stops and big buckets to keep us in the game.
"I thought (senior guard) Nazir McClain did an outstanding job defensively on Moberly's best player and Lecheyon Williams was an absolute beast on the glass."
Savion Thorpe delivered a game-high 29 points to guide the Spartans.
The Hornets are the third seed for this week's Southern Boone Classic in Ashland and will play No. 6 Linn in the first round at 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Hallsville - ranked fifth in Class 3 - is the tournament's top seed. Southern Boone, the second seed, is responsible for Fulton's only loss this season, 66-47 in the title game of the California Tournament on Jan. 13.
"The Southern Boone tournament is loaded with great teams this year," Gilmore said. "Some of the top teams in our area and the state will be featured.
"We'll have to be on our 'A' game if we expect to get to our third championship game of the year."