BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Lee women's basketball team found shots tough to come by as the physical Delta State Lady Statemen knocked off the defending Gulf South Conference Champions, in the semifinals on Saturday afternoon from the Pete Hanna Center at Samford University.
The Statesmen turned away a furious comeback attempt by the Lady Flames keyed by junior Halle Hughes. The Bradley Central standout hit a triple, swiped a steal and complete an old-fashion 3-point play to draw Lee within four with 51 seconds left. She finished with 13 points and four rebounds.
The Statesmen converted their fouls shots down the stretch however to hold off Lee and advance to Sunday's GSC Championship game. Delta converted 18 of 25 from free throw stripe in the fourth quarter alone and a remarkable 36 of 50 (72 percent) in the game.
All-GSC guards Haley Schubert and Abby Bertram led the way for the Lady Flames. Schubert had 21 points and five rebounds while Bertram added 17 points, seven assists and three boards. Maddie Long provided a spark of the bench with eight points and was a plus 9 for the Flames when she was on the court.
"I'm disappointed with how we played for most of the game but I loved the fight we showed to battle back late and make it a one possession game in the final minute," said Lee head coach Marty Rowe. "I thought Halle and Maddie played really well for us and Abby and Haley were good but we got in so much foul trouble early and that really hurt us. I'm not sure I've played a game where the opposing team shot 50 foul shots. It's awfully tough to win when that happens but credit Delta State they were physical and capitalized on the offensive glass."
Delta State took the game over with a dominating 3
rd quarter, outscoring the Lady Flames, 24-12. Lee scored 32 points in the fourth, but the mountain proved too high to climb.
Both teams were held under 40 percent shooting in the contest. Lee connected on 25 of 64 (39.1 percent) while the Statesmen hit 21 of 54 (38.9 percent). The Lady Flames converted 9 of 27 from beyond the arc.
The Statesmen cleaned up the offensive glass with 16 boards and held a 44-36 advantage overall on the glass. Both teams committed 15 turnovers.
After a low-scoring first quarter the Lady Flames got going in the second period and jumped out to an eight point lead before Delta State battled back to cut the deficit to 33-30 at the halftime break. Schubert scored 11 points while Hughes came of the bench for seven points and three rebounds.
The Lady Flames drop to 26-4 on the year and will now await Sunday's NCAA Selection Show to see where and when they will play to open the South Regional Tournament. Lee still is in play to host the regional which would begin on Friday, Mar. 13.
Delta State (23-6) advances to the GSC Championship game tomorrow at 1:30 EST and will meet the top-seed Union Bulldogs who rolled past the No. 4 seed Alabama Huntsville Chargers, 89-62 earlier in the day.
