Box Score
The Lee men's basketball team (6-5, 2-3) saw another second half lead go by the wayside as they fell to Delta State (12-2, 5-1) , 67-56 on Thursday evening inside Walker Arena.
The Flames have now dropped three straight Gulf South Conference (GSC) games despite holding leads deep into the second half in all three.
With four seconds remaining in the opening period Corey Billingsley slashed to the hoop and connected to give Lee a 31-29 advantage heading into the locker room. The second half however belonged to the Statesmen as they shot 46.4 percent from the field and outscored the Flames 38-25 en route to the 11-point victory.
Junior transfer Tyquan Roberts had his best game as a Flame registering 22 points and nine rebounds (six offensive). The only other Flame to reach double-figures was Billingsley with 16.
"Tyquan (Roberts) played really well but he was a little fatigued down the stretch." remarked head coach Tommy Brown. "We didn't get much else on the offensive end and failed to get stops late in the contest."
Lee shot 43 percent in the first half but converted just 10-of-30 in the second period (33.3 percent) and finished the contest at 38 percent from the field. The Flames again struggled to convert from the foul line hitting just 7-of-14.
The Statesmen used the combination of Devin Schmidt and Willie Readus to open things up in final six and half minutes. Schmidt finished with 19 points while Readus tallied 16 to go along with seven boards.
"Delta State doesn't have much of a weakness. In my opinion they are the best team in the league" said Brown. "They pound the ball inside and nobody in the league so far as been able to stop (Readus).
The Flames outrebounded the taller Statesmen 34-31. Lee held a commanding 15-8 advantage on the offensive glass leading to 22 second chance points. Lee committed 13 turnovers and forced DSU into 10 floor mistakes.
The loss snaps Lee's 23-game home winning streak. The last time the Flames faced defeat at Walker Arena was on Feb. 18, 2012 against Mountain State.
Coach Brown's club will look to rebound quickly and get back on the winning track in GSC play as they host Memphis Christian Brothers on Saturday. Tip time is set for 4 p.m.
"Christian Brothers shoots the three well and they have a post player who is very athletic." concluded Brown.
