BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Playing without two of its starters, the Lee University women's basketball team lost an exhibition game at Western Kentucky University, 88-64, Friday evening in E.A. Diddle Arena. The Lady Flames were without Carrie Cheeks and Shelby Brown due to illness.
"We really competed tonight," said Lee head coach Marty Rowe. "It was a great opportunity for us to play a tough opponent on a big DI stage and represent our school and conference. I think we did that well tonight. It was a great environment and a really good crowd. Obviously not having our full roster due to illness was not ideal, but we really got a great chance to battle and compete and get ready for three big conference games next week."
Abby Bertram led four Lady Flames in double-digit scoring. Bertram made 3-of-7 3-pointers on her way to 15 points. Lindsey Roddy and Erin Walsh tallied 11 points each and Maddie Long supplied 10 more.
Taylor Boggess and Halle Hughes tied for the team lead with six rebounds each. Boggess added seven points and Hughes threw in six more.
Lee finished the game 20-for-59 (.339) from the floor and were 7-for-27 (.259) from behind the arc. WKU was 33-for-75 (.440) overall and made 5-of-12 (.417) from long distance. Both teams made 17 free throws with the Lady Flames making 23 trips to WKU's 21.
Tashia Brown led WKU with a game-high 30 points, while Ivy Brown posted a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Raneem Elgedawy had nine markers to go with 10 boards and three blocked shots.
The Lady Toppers edged Lee in the battle of the boards. WKU recorded 44 rebounds with 12 offensive boards leading to seven second-chance points. Nine of Lee's 41 rebounds were on the offensive end and led to five second-chance points. WKU forced Lee into 23 turnovers and cashed them in for 23 points. The Lady Flames recorded eight points off nine WKU floor mistakes.
After not playing since Dec. 18, the Lady Flames face a stretch of four Gulf South Conference (GSC) competitions in a span of seven days beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 2. Lee will carry a 2-2 conference mark (9-3 overall) into Tuesday night's battle with Valdosta State (8-3, 2-1 GSC). The Lady Blazers have not played since Dec. 18 when they defeated West Alabama, 85-74.
Two days later, the Argos of West Florida visit Paul Dana Walker Arena for a 6 p.m. meeting. Lee finishes its busy week with a pair of games in Alabama. The Lady Flames travel to Montevallo on Dec. 6 and West Alabama on Dec. 8.
