TAMPA, Florida – It is onto second round of the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament for the Lee women's basketball team. The Lady Flames battled through a slow start and took command in the second half to post a 63-52 win over Lynn University (Fla.) on Friday evening in the event being hosted by the University of Tampa. 

The Lady Flames, seeded 4^th, will face No. 1 seeded Tampa in the semifinal round on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Union University advanced and will play Eckerd in the other semifinal contest.  

"We are excited about the opportunity to play Tampa tomorrow. They are the No. 1 seed for a reason but we're looking forward to the challenge," said Coach Marty Rowe who directed the Lady Flames to their second straight win in a South Region opener.  

"It was a great team win tonight. Once we settled down and relaxed on both ends, we played really well. Lynn is a really good team and got us into foul trouble early. We played through that and had multiple people step up for us."  

Thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Addison Smith at the end of the first stop, the Lady Flames held an 18-16 lead over the Lady Knights. It was the same story in the second 10 minutes. Lynn held the lead late in the frame but Lee fought back and Haylee Johnson, who played well in the period, drove for a layup just before the horn sounded to give the Lady Flames a 29-27 upper-hand at the break. 

It was a completely settled and relaxed Lee squad in the second 20 minutes of the game. Eighteen points went on the board in the third period and the Lady Flames held a 47-38 lead. Each time the Lady Knights attempted to come back, Lee had an answer. Only six triples were made the entire contest but Morgan Carbaugh and Hannah Garrett knocked down big ones in the quarter. Smith and Garrett had two apiece while Carbaugh and Haley Schubert tallied the others.  

The margin of victory was extended to 14 points in the fourth period. Coach Rowe pointed towards a team effort. Schubert led the way with 19 points and because of foul problems her playing time was limited. Macy Woodworth countered with 10 points and led the team in rebounding with seven. The Lady Flames outrebounded Lynn 37-34. Mia Hurst battled for six boards. Johnson and Smith finished with eight points and five rebounds. Carbaugh added five markers and four rebounds. It was not a big numbers night for ball-handler Mallory Hampton, but she did have three assists, three rebounds and three points. 

Lee shot 37% from the field (42-of-60) and 27% from beyond the arc (6-of-22). They converted 13-of-19 free throws. The defense held the Lady Knights to 39% shooting (19-of-49) and 6-of-20 (30%) on 3-point attempts. Lynn canned 8-of-15 free throws. Jada Marone was outstanding for the losers in scoring 24 points. Ella Flore had nine points and seven rebounds.