Quay Kennedy drilled six 3-pointers and scored 22 points as the Lee men's basketball team powered past rival Alabama Huntsville, 84-70 on Saturday afternoon inside Walker Arena.

The Flames were deadly from deep as they posted a season-high 17 triples, including 10 in the first half to take a 45-24 lead into locker room at halftime.

"We just are playing with a lot of confidence right now and believing in each other," said Kennedy, who prior to tipoff received a commemorative basketball for becoming the 33^rd player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone earlier this season. "I saw some early shots go in and that helped get us going but I thought we played a complete game and really got after it defensively and on the glass. It's a big win and we look forward to keeping the momentum going after the break.

The Chargers jumped out to an early 11-5 lead at the 16:34 mark in the first half. From there it was all Flames, however. Reigning GSC Freshman of the Week PJay Smith canned a 3-pointer with 11:52 left in the first half to give the Flames a 17-15 lead they would never relinquish.

"We had a sense of urgency on both ends of the court tonight. We set the tone again defensively tonight and of course it was great to see Quay get going from outside. When shots go in from three like they did tonight that certainly helps but we did a nice job defensively and are playing with a lot of energy and passion right now," said Lee head coach Bubba Smith. "Mike (McGuirk) was phenomenal again tonight and Makhi (McGuire) gave us really good minutes in the second half to keep the lead at a comfortable margin."

Michael McGuirk added 18 points and eight rebounds and was 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Makhi McGuire came off the bench to tally 15 points in 23 minutes of work. Jayce Willingham registered nine points and five rebounds while Beyuan Hendricks tallied eight points and dished off a game-high seven assists.

CJ Williamson scored a game-high 25 points to go along with five steals to lead Alabama Huntsville. Auston Leslie posted 17 points and was 3 for 3 from the 3-point line. Chaney Johnson gave the visitors three players in double-figures with 11 points and five boards.

"We are playing with a lot of confidence right now, but we have to continue to improve each and every time out. I think we are doing that right now and the key for us will be to bring that same mindset as we come out of the break," concluded Smith.

The Flames improve to 7-4 on the year and are now 3-2 in the Gulf South Conference. The Chargers fall to 8-5 and are 1-3 in league play. The win snaps a four-game losing streak to the Chargers.

Lee will take two weeks off for the Christmas Break and return to action on January 2 at Auburn Montgomery. The Flames will return home to Walker Arena on Saturday, Jan. 8 against West Alabama.