In what could well be called one of the most thrilling women's basketball games played in historic Walker Arena, a pair of point guards battled throughout the entire game before Lee pulled out an 85-82 victory over the University of West Florida.
Haris Price, fresh out of Gatlinburg Pittman High School, came of age on Saturday afternoon in the Gulf South Conference thriller. Standing at only 5-foot-2, she stood much taller in scoring 24 points and dishing off four assists. Even more important, after the Argos had cut the lead down to only two points, Price nailed a 3-pointer to help seal the victory. She was 9-of-13 from the field, 2-of-3 from behind the arc and 4-of-6 from the line.Â
It was far from being a one-woman show. Sophomore Erin Walsh continued to give her team a lift with an 18 point performance. She was 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. Carrie Cheeks made seven of her nine shots from the floor and finished with 16 points and five rebounds despite being in foul trouble much of the game. Freshman Anna Woodford also played a key role in the win. She had 14 points and was 6-of-6 from the line as the Lady Flames converted 17-of-21 freebie attempts. Kayla Beavers only had three points in the game but she helped the cause with five assists and Christina Johnson grabbed eight rebounds.
The Lady Flames shot 56 percent from the field (69 percent in the second half). They made 46 percent from behind the arc and turned the basketball over 17 times in the fast-paced game. West Florida won the rebounding battle 29-28.Â
"It was a great game," said coach Marty Rowe with a big smile after the victory pushed his team to 6-3 overall and 3-1 in conference play. "This group is getting better every day and our players who come off the bench are a key reason why we are where we are today."
The Argos' Alex Coyne made it a point-guard show to behold. The transfer also scored 24 points and had eight assists. She helped keep her team in the contest by drilling five 3-pointers in eight attempts. Jasmine Wigfal marched to the free-throw line 13 times and converted 12 to finish with 16 points. Toni Brewer followed with 12 points and Katie Bobos had 10 points and seven rebounds.
West Florida shot 46 percent from the field and from 3-point range. They converted 23-of-27 freebies and had 14 floor mistakes.
"I think this is just the tip of the ice for our team," added Rowe. "These girls come to practice and work every day and continue to pull for each other. We've got to go on the road and win a couple of games at North Alabama (Thursday) and Huntsville (Saturday) before the holiday break. We will know much more about our basketball team before we return to Walker Arena after the Christmas break.Â
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