It took a pair of overtimes and plenty of twists and turns in 10 extra minutes of playing time, but Lee ended a rugged nine-game losing streak with a 77-75 victory over the University of West Alabama in Walker Arena on Thursday night. The Flames had lost more than their share of close contests during the streak and enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate when the win finally came their way.
"I'm really proud of our guys in how we were able to grind out a tough conference win," stated Lee coach Bubba Smith. "I thought our defense and toughness down the stretch was the best it's been in a while. I'm proud of how the guys have kept working and keep believing in what we are doing."
Regulation play ended with the Gulf South Conference contest deadlocked at 55. The Tigers owned a 65-62 lead with seven seconds remaining in the first OT. Senior Rico Overall saved the day for the Flames when he nailed a 25-foot triple to tie the score at 65, and then missed a free-throw that would have given the Flames a one-point advantage. The Tigers missed a long 3-pointer in their opportunity to pull out the win.
"Even when we were down five with under 30 seconds, our guys executed a side-out play and Rico hit a big shot to cut it to two. He followed that with another big shot and a chance to put us ahead at the free-throw line," Smith added.
Lee quickly grabbed a 74-72 lead in the second overtime on
Keevin Tyus' field goal, but West Alabama fought back.
Jahmal Lane hit his first free throw but missed on the second, allowing Lee to maintain a one-point advantage. The Tigers quickly fouled Overall on the other end and he converted 1-of-2 freebies. After a timeout, the visitors were guilty of a travel that helped Lee score its sixth conference win of the year.
In the opening half, the Flames jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead and appeared ready to find a way to put the battle out of reach. Cody Farley and
Tyus scored inside while Ryan Montgomery and Overall were scoring 3-pointers. The lead grew to 14-3 before the Tigers began to claw their way back into the contest. West Alabama grabbed its only lead of the opening 20 minutes (27-26) when Sean
Cranney knocked in a two-pointer.
Neither club was able to garner a commanding advantage in the second half. The visitors from Livingston, Ala. stayed in the contest by making 25-of-28 free throws. On the other hand, the Flames struggled mightily at the line, canning just 12-of-22 attempts.
Lee made 11-of-23 triples to help overcome the charity stripe advantage. For the game, coach Bubba Smith's club shot a solid 44 percent from the field and an even better 48 percent from beyond the arc. The Tigers finished the contest with 36 percent shooting from the field and only 26 percent (3-of-12) from 3-point range.
Overall paced the Lee win with 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Farley helped his senior teammate with a double-double, 15 points and 10 boards, while
Tyus finished strong in the second half and mustered 14 points. Montgomery added nine and
Jervon Johnson hit a pair of 3s in finishing with nine points.
The Tigers were paced by Lane's 21 points. He was 11-of-12 from the line. Gavin Robinson finished with a double-double, 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Jake
Jobling did his usual thing, coming off the bench to hit 3-of-4 triples and tallying 11 points.
The Flames will remain at home to celebrate Senior Day on Saturday when they host the University of West Georgia in a tip scheduled for 4 p.m. It will also be Alumni Day.
