LIVINGSTON, Ala. – Emileigh Swafford scored a career-high 33 points and Kayla Beavers canned four free throws in the final 10 seconds to lead the Lee University women's basketball team to a 63-58 Gulf South Conference (GSC) win over the University of West Alabama. Lee improved to 14-7 and 11-7 in conference play, while West Alabama dropped to 10-12 (7-11 GSC).
"It was a team effort and we wanted the basketball more than they (UWA) did," said Lee head coach Marty Rowe. "I'm having a lot of fun coaching this team."
Swafford made 13-of-26 shots from the field and was 6-for-7 from the foul line. The freshman added five rebounds and two steals to her totals.
Erin Walsh was the only other Lady Flame to reach double-figure scoring with 10 points. Kayla Beavers, Christina Johnson and Shelby Brown supplied six points each. Alex Swope rounded out the Lee scoring with two markers. Swope also dished out four assists.
Beavers was a perfect 6-for-6 at the charity stripe. Johnson grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds to go with one blocked shot and Brown added nine boards and two blocked shots to the cause.
"Christina was a beast again and Emily is so talented," said Rowe. "KB stepped up to the plate and delivered late for us."
West Alabama outshot the Lady Flames in the game. UWA made 22-of-58 (.379) shots from the floor and were 4-for-14 (.286) from behind the arc, while Lee was 21-for-60 (.350) overall and 3-for-13 (.231) from distance. The visitors held a 18-10 advantage in made free throws with Lee making 23 trips to the Tiger's 15.
Lee won the battle of the boards with 44 rebounds compared to 35 for West Alabama. The Tigers turned 14 offensive rebounds into 11 second chance points. Lee garnered eight second chance points from 20 offensive boards.
The Lady Flames trailed 29-21 following the opening 20 minutes and West Alabama increased their lead to 33-21 within the opening minute of the second half. Lee slowly chipped away at the deficit and finally took a one-point lead with a Swafford layup at the 10:30 mark. The Lady Flames wouldn't relinquish the lead and were tied once throughout the remainder of the game.
"We played awfully well in the second half. It might have been the best half we have played on the road all year," concluded Rowe.
Lee plays its final road game of the regular season with a trip to Carrollton, Ga., to face University of West Georgia on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
