The Lee University men's basketball team scored the final four points of regulation and then outscored the University of North Alabama 19-14 in overtime to claim an 87-82 victory in Thursday night's Gulf South Conference (GSC) matchup in Paul Dana Walker Arena.
"We overcame a lot of adversity to win this game," said Lee head coach Tommy Brown. "(Elgrin) Wilson had to go home because of the passing of his grandfather. Chase Cullen could not play but a few minutes because he was sick and Tyquan (Roberts) also wasn't feeling well, but our guys toughed it out and beat a real good North Alabama team. They are well coached and have a lot of good athletes."
The Flames (8-2, 3-2 GSC) had five players score in double-digits. Roberts led all scorers with 17 points to go with six rebounds. Cory Billingsley nailed 7-of-9 free throw attempts on his way to 15 markers. The senior also had five rebounds and three assists.
Cody Farley tallied 13 points. Chad Lee was 4-for-6 from beyond the arc to record a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
"We need Chad Lee to keep shooting the ball that well, but he also did a lot of other good things for us tonight," said Brown. "Jervon Johnson got in foul trouble and didn't play much, but he came off the bench with fresh legs and make key shots."
Johnson scored eight points, including the first five in overtime, in just 13 minutes of playing time. He also had two rebounds and a steal.
Bryce Copeland was the final Flame in double-figure scoring with 11. Stedmon Ford was the assist leader with eight and supplied seven points to the cause.
North Alabama (4-6, 1-3 GSC) was led by Jere Vucica's 16 points and seven rebounds. Brandon Herman added 15 points, while Nathan Spehr and John Fletcher had 13 points each. Marcus Landry was the fifth Lion player in double-figures with 11 points and five rebounds.
Lee edged UNA 37-34 on the boards. The Flames grabbed 10 offensive boards compared to UNA's 15, but were even with 10 second-chance points each.
The game was tied 12 times and included 18 lead changes. North Alabama's largest lead was four points a little over one minute into the second half. The Flames' jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but their largest margin (11) didn't come until just over one minute remaining in overtime.
"You will not see many games that stay that close the entire 40 minutes, but our guys hung in there," added Brown.
The Flames will host The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) on Saturday at 7 p.m. The No. 20-ranked Chargers lost, 85-70, at Shorter University Thursday evening.
Anyone bringing two food items to Saturday's game will receive free admission. The food will be donated to the Lee University Food Bank.
