Led by senior and All-GSC first team selection Abby Bertram, the Lee women's basketball team played outstanding basketball in the first half and held a commanding 49-26 lead at the break. After a brief scoring lull in the third quarter (6 points), the Lady Flames quickly regrouped and handed Mississippi College a 72-55 defeat in the opening round of the GSC Championship.
"We are excited about making another trip to Birmingham and look forward to the semifinal," said Coach Marty Rowe, who earlier in the day was named the GSC Coach of the Year.
The victory moved the 26-3 Lee club onto the Final Four of the GSC Championship in Birmingham, Alabama. Samford University is hosting the tournament. The Lady Flames will be pitted against Delta State University on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. (EST). The Lady Statesmen advanced with a win over West Georgia. Union and Alabama Huntsville also advanced and will play in the 1 p.m. (EST) game.
Bertram finished the contest with 26 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Her shooting was on target, 8 of 14 from the field, 4 of 8 from 3-point range and 6 of 8 from the charity stripe. Taylor Boggess finished with 12 points and turned in several hustle plays while Lindsey Roddy added 10 points and six rebounds. The Lady Flames got solid play off the bench from Boggess, Halle Hughes and Maddie Long.
Nicky Widenski battled for six boards as the Lady Flames and Lady Choctaws were dead even in the rebounding department, 36 apiece. For the game, the Lady Flames shot 45% from the field and canned 16 of 21 free throws. The defense held Mississippi College to 33% shooting and forced the Lady Choctaws into 19 turnovers.
Moriah Hurst had a double-double (15 points, 15 rebounds) to lead Mississippi College. Coco Hobson came off the bench and added 12 while Mikeba Jones rounded the double-figure scoring with 10 markers.
"It was a great job by our team tonight in many ways. We played really well in the first half and then had to really battle through adversity in the third and fourth quarters. Give Mississippi College credit, they never quit but I'm really proud of our team for finding a way to win tonight," said Coach Rowe.