LIVINGSTON, Ala. – Thanks to a 10-4 run over the final 3:44 the West Alabama Tigers completed a double-digit second half comeback over the Lee men's basketball team with a 62-56 victory on Wednesday night.
The Flames led by as many as 10 (42-32) after a Michael McGuirk layup with 12:33 left in the contest but were unable to put away the never-say-die Tigers.
McGuirk finished with 12 points, all coming in the second half. Chase Cullen turned in a double-double performance off the bench with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Parker Sudekum chipped in nine points on a perfect 3 for 3 from beyond the arc and dished off three assists while Jason Landman added five points and five rebounds.
The Tigers were led by GSC-leading scorer Charles Eaton who tallied a game-high 24 points. Eaton is averaging 28.6 points per game this season.
Josh Fleming (11 points) and DeAndre Harper (10 points) joined Eaton in double-figures for the home team. Dominque Alexander made life difficult on the Flames as he patrolled the paint with 10 rebounds and five blocks.
Turnovers helped spark the Tigers comeback effort. Lee finished with 25 floor mistakes while turning over UWA just 12 times. The Tigers turned those 25 miscues into 23 points.
"We gave them the ball too much, same thing against Montevallo, you can't turn the ball over that many times and win close games on the road. We have to learn from this and we have to grow up. We can't keep using the excuse were young. You eventually have to learn how to finish and take care of the basketball," said head coach Bubba Smith.
The Flames won the rebounding battle 34-29 and allowed the Tigers to shoot just 37.3 percent from the field. Lee is currently first in the GSC allowing opponents to shoot just 39.5 percent from the field on average.
"Defensively we did a nice job tonight and we covered Eaton well and contained him but at the end of the day if we don't take better care of the ball we will continue to come up on the short end in these close ballgames. Our guys are hungry and they'll be ready to bounce back Saturday but we've got to start putting together consistent efforts from start to finish to get the results we want," concluded Smith.
West Alabama held a commanding advantage at the foul line as they journeyed to the charity stripe 27 times and converted 19 (70.4 percent). The Flames did not attempt a first half foul shot and went 4 of 5 in the second half. For the contest Lee canned 22 of 49 (45 percent) from the field and 8 of 20 (40 percent) from the 3-point line.
The Flames are now 1-3 in 2018 but each game has either gone to overtime over been decided by six or less points. Lee is now 9-6 overall and an even 4-4 in league play while West Alabama improves to 11-5 and 5-3 in the GSC.
Coach Smith's club will now gear up for a big rivalry showdown with Shorter University on Saturday evening in Walker Arena. Opening tip is set for 7 p.m. and the Lee Athletic Department as announced it as a "White Out" night. The first 500 students will receive a "Beat Shorter" White T-shirt while all fans wearing white will be able to enter at a discounted price (Adults -$5 and Kids 18 and under – $2).
