MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Perfect shooting and a career-high in scoring by Levi Woods sparked a short-handed Lee University men's basketball team to its first win over Christian Brothers University since the Flames joined the Gulf South Conference.
The Flames (8-6, 4-4 GSC) only dressed eight players, but were able to build upon a seven-point halftime advantage to claim a 69-57 win. Rico Overall (injury) and Parker Suedekum (illness) were unavailable to play.
"I'm proud of our guys tonight," said Lee head coach Bubba Smith. "I challenged them before the game. They looked hungry and really wanted to win."
Woods was 8-for-8 from the field, including five made three-pointers on his way to 21 points. It was the first time since Duran Blue made 7-of-7 shots from behind the arc against Spring Hill College on Dec. 1, 2012, that a Flame shot 100-percent from distance with five or more attempts. Kermit Marlow and Tim Fenlon each made 5-of-5 attempts, while Kevin Patterson was 6-for-6 against Covenant College in 1986.
Keevin Tyus was 9-for-15 from the floor to finish with 20 points. Tyus added five rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot and a steal. Cody Jones made 4-of-8 three-point attempts to be the final Lee player in double-digit scoring with 14.
Cody Farley led the Flames with eight rebounds and four assists. Farley also netted five points. Ryan Montgomery crashed the boards for seven defensive rebounds.
The Flames led by as much as 20 with just under 11 minutes remaining in the game and held a 19-point lead with 3:41 remaining. Christian Brothers would close the gap with a 9-2 run, but would get no closer than the final margin of 12.
"We didn't mind making it a possession game," admitted Smith. "We knew they have similar tendencies as us. We were tired and they were tired. Our guys made some timely shots."
Lee scorched the nets, making 28-of-53 (.528) shots overall and 12-of-25 (.480) from behind the arc. The Flames converted on their lone trip to the free throw line. CBU was 22-for-50 (.440) from the field, 2-for-15 (.133) and made 11-of-13 (.846) charity tosses.
The Flames outrebounded the Bucs 28-22 with each team recording five offensive rebounds. Lee registered four second-chance points, while CBU tallied eight.
"We have a big test again in a couple days and there are a lot of games still to be played," Smith added. "I told our guys they need to be humble and be hungry."
Lee will make the short hop over to Jackson, Tenn., to face Union University on Saturday at 5 p.m. EST.
