Box Score
Coach Tommy Brown and his Lee men's basketball team will long remember their first Gulf South Conference and NCAA Division II victory. Despite being out-rebounded 45-27, the Flames found a way to turn back a strong and very physical West Florida club on Monday night in Walker Arena.
Not only did the visitors out-rebound Lee by 18, they also pulled down 21 offensive boards. "I don't think I've ever had a team give up that many offensive rebounds," admitted the Lee coach after the heart-throbbing 82-76 win. "This is just a sample of the kind of teams we are going to be facing during the Gulf South season." The contest was tied four times and offered six lead changes. West Florida also had 20 second-chance points to only eight for Lee.
The Flames improved to 5-2 and will face an even bigger challenge on Thursday at 8 p.m. when Valdosta State visits Walker Arena. "They are bigger and stronger than West Florida," Brown pointed out. "We are going to have to play a lot of zones because of our size disadvantage and we have to learn how to rebound out of the zones."
The contest grew to a fever-pitch in the final four minutes. Lee's final surge in the four-minute span was highlighted by a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws by Chad Lee, another trey from Corey Billingsley and a goal from behind the arc by Stedmon Ford. The result was a 77-72 lead by the Flames with less than two minutes remaining.
The Argonauts fought back before the Flames capped off the win by making 3-of-4 free throws, followed by a game-ending dunk by Valentino Thomas.
Lee only attempted nine 3-pointers the entire evening but canned six. They helped overcome West Florida's huge rebounding advantage by knocking down 30-of-37 free throws and shooting a solid 44 percent (23-of-52) from the field.
Billingsley paced Lee's scoring with 24 markers. He was 12-of-13 from the charity stripe, 5-of-7 from the field and 2-of-2 from behind the arc. "Corey has a special way of taking the ball to the basket and maintaining his balance," Brown said. "They kind of slowed him down when they went to a sagging defense but he picked it up again when we needed it the most."
Thomas added 13 points and a team-high six rebounds, while Ford tallied 12 points. Tyquan Roberts pitched in with nine and Chad Lee had eight points, three blocks and two steals. "They all contributed in the win but we also got some good minutes from Brice Sharp, Evan Forhetz, Jamal Worthington and Jay Marquette," Brown said.
The Flames and Argonauts both shot 44 percent from the field. However, West Florida made only 2-of-9 3-pointers and was out-scored by the Flames by 14 points at the free-throw line.
Nate Johnson continued to pile up double-doubles by leading the West Florida with 19 points and 10 rebounds. However, Ellis Young came off the bench and contributed 22 key points. Savon Bracey had some foul problems but still managed 14 points and nine boards, while Terrence Townes followed with 11 points and five rebounds.
Community Appreciation Week continues on Thursday when the Flames and Lady Flames host Valdosta State in a doubleheader that is slated to tip off at 6 p.m. Adults will be admitted for half-price ($3) and high school age students and under will receive free admission.
