BRUNSWICK, Ga. - Lee outscored host Coastal Georgia 50-31 in the second half and coasted to its 22nd win of the year against just one defeat on Monday evening in Coffin Gymnasium.
The Flames, ranked second nationally in the NAIA poll, led only by a 33-20 margin at halftime but put the SSAC contest completely out of reach by midway of the second 20 minutes. Only two Lee players scored in double digits but seven others tallied in the convincing 83-51 victory.
Will Barnes paced the high-powered Lee attack with 23 points. He was 3-of-6 from behind the arc and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line. Barnes improved his season average to 21 points per game. Chase Dunn followed closely with 19 points. It was Dunn who led the second-half surge by knocking down five 3-point shots. He only missed three treys the entire contest.
"It was good to see Chase stroking the three's again," said coach Tommy Brown after the win. "He had not been shooting the basketball well as of late and getting him going makes us an even better basketball team. We had a few turnover problems but overall I was pleased with 32-point victory."
Steve Bennett had nine points and eight rebounds, while Jamorris Gaines and Corey Billingsley tallied eight points apiece. "We've got to find a way to get Corey going earlier in the games," said Brown. "He usually gets off to a slow start but then picks up the pace."
Chad Lee pulled down five rebounds and Patrick Shaughnessy totaled six points. The Mariners actually won the battle of the boards 35-31. Lee shot 50 percent from the field (30-of-60). The Flames also knocked down 11-of-24 treys (46 percent) and converted 12-of-15 free throws.
The defense held Coastal Georgia to only 34 percent shooting from the floor, but the host club did hit 5-of-12 3-pointers (42 percent). Reggie Burke had 14 points for the losers and PJ Reason totaled 14. The Marniers were awarded 20 free throws and made 14. Lee outscored Coastal 38-16 in points in the paint and 21-9 in scoring off the bench.
The Flames return to Walker Arena on Thursday and will host Southern Wesleyan in an 8 p.m. start. On Saturday, 10th-ranked Emmanuel College visits in a key battle slated for a 4 p.m. tip-off.
