FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Thanks to a fourth period charge from the No. 4 Nova Southeastern Sharks the Lee women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the young season, 81-68 on Saturday night to wrap up the NSU Tipoff Classic.

The two teams were tied at 61 with 6:20 remaining in the fourth after the Lady Flames got a layup from Christina Johnson. From there however it was all Sharks as the home team went on a 20-7 run to close out the victory.

"We competed like crazy tonight against a really good team and gave ourselves a chance but we just got out played down the stretch," said head coach Marty Rowe after the game.

Freshman Anna Woodford led Lee with 15 points. Fellow freshman Haris Price added 12 points and connected on six assists while sophomore Erin Walsh rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10.

After posting a double-double in yesterday's victory, Johnson came back to grab a game-high 13 rebounds for the Lady Flames and added six points.

Nova Southeastern was paced by Monaye Merritt's 22 points. Merritt did most of her damage from the free throw line connecting on 15-of-17. Kayla Wright and Molly Blomer each added 12 markers while Taylor Buie pitched in 10 points and dished off three assists.

Foul shooting proved to be a huge difference in the closely contested game. Nova Southeastern traveled to the charity stripe 33 times and converted 28. The Lady Flames were limited to just 10 foul shots and made seven.

"We can't foul 30 times on the road and expect to win many games," noted Rowe. "We've got to figure out a way to defend without fouling."

The Lady Flames shot 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the field and 35 percent (7-of-20) from 3-point distance. The Florida club connected on 48.9 percent from the field (23-of-47) and hit 7-of-15 treys.

Lee held a 36-25 advantage on the glass and outscored the Sharks 30-22 in the paint. The Lady Flames forced 15 turnovers and cashed in 11 points while Nova made the most of Lee's 18 floor mistakes converting those into 24 points.

The Lady Flames fall to 1-1 on the year after scoring a win over Barry University in yesterday's season opener. Nova Southeastern, the favorites to win the Sunshine State Conference, improve to 2-0 on the young season.

"This game can really be such a positive if we allow it to happen. We need to learn from this experience and grow as a team," concluded Rowe.

The Lady Flames will get back out on the hardwood on Thursday as they return home to Walker Arena to host Young Harris College at 7 p.m.