Stedmon Ford scored a career high 29 points and got plenty of help from Chase Cullen and Cory Billingsley as the Flames turned back a tall and physical Mississippi College team on Thursday evening in Walker Arena, 92-85.
Ford made 5-of-8 3-point shots and also connected on 8-of-10 free throws in turning in the strongest effort of his two year career at Lee. Cullen led the Lee charge in the first half before getting into foul trouble and finished with 21 points and six rebounds. He made 9-of-11 shots from the field. Billingsley (17 points) waited until late to get his scoring act in gear and made 9-of-10 free throws, many in the closing minutes to help Lee secure the Gulf South Conference victory. Elgrin Wilson tossed in eight points and Jervon Johnson hit a pair of 3-pointers.
"We had to find a way to hang on with Chase and Chad Lee in foul trouble much of the second half," said coach Tommy Brown who directed his team to its 13th victory of the year against 12 defeats. "Chase only played 19 minutes and Chad was limited to only 13 minutes, so we win this game with two of our best rebounders on the sidelines in the second half. Mississippi College is so physical and strong inside. We really had a tough time battling down low."
The Flames appeared to be in great shape when they went on a 14-2 run with 11:55 remaining and owned a 61-50 advantage. However, the Choctaws refused to fold and came back on a 13-2 run of their own and tied the game at 63 with 8:30 remaining. "They really had three players that we had trouble stopping," noted Brown. "I guess we just had to find a way to outscore them down the stretch."
Tory Rice paced a balanced Mississippi College (11-11, 9-11 GSC) attack with 23 points and seven rebounds. Tristan Moore rallied the Choctaws late and poured in 21 points, making 10-of-13 free throws. Emmanuel Ezejiofo tallied 17 points and garnered eight rebounds, while freshman Stacey Mack countered with a double-double, 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Mississippi College won the rebounding battle 38-30 but more importantly pulled down 16 offensive boards. The visitors shot 44 percent from the field and just 22 percent from behind the arc. They shot a remarkable 43 free throws and converted 31. Lee turned the basketball over 12 times and forced Mississippi College into 15 floor mistakes.
The Flames were on target with their shooting the entire 40 minutes, knocking down 50 percent of their shots in the first half and claiming a narrow 37-36 advantage. For the game, Lee made 29-of-58 field goal attempts (50 percent), 11-of-21 treys (52 percent) and marched to the free throw line 29 times and sank 23 (79 percent).
Things do not get any easier for the Flames on Saturday afternoon. They will play host to another Mississippi squad (Delta State). The Statesmen are battling for a high seed in the upcoming Gulf South Conference tournament. The action will be part of a doubleheader with the Lady Flames tipping off at 2 p.m. and the men to follow.
