It wasn’t exactly the way Bryant Coach John Abrahamson drew up the play, but C.J. Rainey found a way to achieve the desired result.

Rainey took a pass on the right side of the floor, curled into the lane, hit a layup and drew a foul with 6.6 seconds to go. His subsequent free throw gave the Hornets a 44-43 home victory over Little Rock Fair on Friday.

“We know to stay patient and stay poised,” Abrahamson said. “C.J. knows to keep working it. He’s played a lot of minutes for us and made a lot of plays.”

The War Eagles had a two-point lead thanks to Antonio Pointer who finished with 15 points for Fair.

In one late stretch, Pointer hit a three-pointer, stole an inbound pass and converted a layup with 32.1 seconds left to give Fair a one-point lead. He then hit a foul shot to put the Eagles ahead 43-41 with 22 seconds to go.

The War Eagles struggled from the foul line, something Coach Charlie Johnson said was the key to his team’s loss.

“You are on the road in a conference game,” Johnson said. “You have to hit free throws. We only hit one of four down the stretch.”

Jerrick Cole chipped in 13 points for the War Eagles.

Kevin Hunt scored 12 points for Bryant while Romen Martin added 10.

Sports, Pages 28 on 01/18/2014