LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The Lee University men's basketball team placed four players in double-digit scoring, but it wasn't enough as the Flames fell 74-69 in overtime at West Alabama. The Gulf South Conference Quarterfinal matchup was played at UWA's Pruitt Hall.
West Alabama (22-6) held a 34-31 advantage at the half. Lee (15-14) scored the final five points of the second half to win the second 20 minutes 32-29 and force overtime. UWA and Lee were tied at 69-69 with 1:31 remaining in overtime before the Tigers hit a layup and connected on three free throws to tally the final margin.
Colton Blevins was 6-for-8 from the field, including 2-for-2 from behind the arc on his way to 15 points. He added four assists, three steals and two rebounds in the loss. Ryan Montgomery contributed 15 points and three rebounds to the effort.
Parker Suedekum and Cody Jones were the only other Flames in double digits. Suedekum finished with 12 points and Jones was 5-for-5 from the charity stripe on his way to 10 points.
Quay Kennedy amassed nine points off three 3-pointers. Kentrell Evans tallied six points and Josh Lowe rounded out the scoring with two markers.
Charles Tripp was 8-for-10 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line to lead all scorers with 21 points. LaJuan Hardy and Josh Fleming added 12 points each, while Ricky Dunnaway poured in 11 more for the Tigers. Dunnaway pulled down 10 rebounds to register a double-double. He also dished out a game-high five assists.
The Flames made 25-of-49 (.510) shots from the floor and were 7-for-21 (.333) from behind the arc. The Tigers were 24-for-52 (.462) overall and connected for 6-of-21 (.286) from distance. UWA held a slight advantage at the free throw line where they made 20-of-26 (.769) attempts. The Flames toed the line 14 times and made 12 (.857).
The No. 2 seeded Tigers advance to the GSC Semifinal on Saturday. The season comes to an end for the seventh-seeded Flames.
