Tweet #flamenation

LIVINGSTON, Ala. – A furious comeback effort came up just short for the Lee men's basketball team as it fell, 75-74 to the University of West Alabama on Thursday night.

The Flames trailed by 14 points at the half and as many as 18 in the early moments of the second half before closing the game on a 46-29 run.

A huge technical foul on the Tigers helped Lee pull within two at 73-71 with 25 seconds remaining and the ball. After a timeout the Flames got a good look down low but couldn't convert. West Alabama's Deontaye Ewing grabbed the board and calmly drained two foul shots to put the game out of reach.

"We had a really good look at it there at the end but we just couldn't finish it off," said head coach Tommy Brown. "I'm really proud of the way our guys fought back and the effort we gave in the second half. Maybe one of these times will have a win to show for our effort."

Sophomore Stedmon Ford led the Flames with 22 points in the contest. Ford was 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and hit 8-of-13 from the field. Senior Cory Billingsley added 14 points, 10 from the charity stripe and grabbed six rebounds before fouling out of the game in the final seconds.

"Stedmon played really well tonight in what is a very tough place to play," added Brown. "I thought that 18 minute stretch was the best we're capable of playing as a team."

Elgrin Wilson finished with nine points in 15 minutes of action for the Flames. Chad Lee and Chase Cullen each had seven points.

The Tigers were paced by Justin Wright's 22 points. Wright was 7-of-8 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from 3-point distance. Charles Eaton chipped in 20 points and Jarrell Byrd had 13 markers, seven rebounds and four steals.

Both teams shot the ball well in the contest with Lee hitting 47.2 percent of its shots and West Alabama nailing 54.3 percent of its field goal attempts. The Tigers hit 6-of-11 from 3-point range while Lee was 5-of-14.

The Flames crashed the boards to win the battle on the glass by 31-22 margin over the Tigers. Lee committed just five turnovers while forcing the Tigers into 10 floor mistakes. The Flames edged the home team 18-15 in points off turnovers.

After a Cody Farley layup the Flames held a 13-12 lead with just over 12 minutes remaining in the opening half before the Tigers closed on a 27-12 run to take a 14-point lead into the halftime break.

The loss drops the Flames to 11-12 on the season and 6-12 in the Gulf South Conference. Lee has lost five conference road games by five points or less this season. The win moves West Alabama to 17-9 overall and 12-6 in league play.

Brown's squad will play its final road game of the season on Saturday as they travel to Carrollton to battle West Georgia at 4 p.m. Lee finishes the year with four home games beginning Feb. 19 against Mississippi College.