HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Lady Flames passed their first road test of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) schedule with a 77-74 defeat of The University of Alabama in Huntsville Saturday afternoon. Lee improved to 9-2 and 2-1 inside the GSC, while the Chargers dropped to 1-2 in conference play and 6-3 overall.
Lee tallied 20 points in each period except the second, where they posted 17. UAH held a 44-37 halftime lead before the Lady Flames began the comeback. The visitors chipped two points off the margin in the third period and held the Chargers to 12 fourth-period points.
"I'm proud of the way we responded and fought in the second half," said Lee University head coach Marty Rowe. "After allowing them to get comfortable early, we were able to pick up our pressure and make big plays down the stretch to finish the game. Getting back into conference play, it was great to see our girls battle an pull this one out on the road."
Four Lady Flames finished the day with double-digit scoring. Erin Walsh and Carrie Cheeks led the way with 18 markers each. Walsh added five rebounds and three assists. Cheeks pulled down a team-high seven boards to go with three steals.
Abby Bertram contributed 16 points and Taylor Boggess threw in another 11. Lindsey Roddy and Shelby Brown recorded six points each. Maddie Long was responsible for two points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Lee made 31-of-62 (.500) shot attempts, including 4-for-18 (.222) from behind the arc. UAH made 26-of-47 (.553) from the floor and were 6-for-16 (.375) from distance. UAH made 25 trips to the free throw line and made 16, while Lee toed the line 14 times and converted 11.
The Lady Flames turned 17 UAH turnovers into 23 points. The Chargers cashed 11 Lee floor mistakes into 11 points.
Both teams crashed the boards for 30 rebounds. The Lady Flames turned 10 offensive rebounds into 15 second-chance points, while UAH added eight points off six offensive boards.
Lee remains on the road and finishes the pre-Christmas schedule with a trip to Florence, Ala., to face North Alabama on Monday. The GSC contest is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. EST.
