CLEVELAND, Tenn.-The Lee University women's basketball team exploded for 25 points in the first quarter and coasted to a 69-31 victory over visiting Christian Brothers University inside Walker Arena on Thursday evening. The Lady Flames improved to 10-5 overall and 8-3 in GSC play. CBU slipped to 1-13, 1-9.
Things will get much tougher for Coach Marty Rowe and his Lady Flames on Saturday at 2 p.m. when sixth-ranked Union University comes to Walker Arena. Under the direction of Coach Rowe's close friend Mark Campbell, the Lady Bulldogs are averaging over 90 points per game and have lost only one time the entire year. Admission to Saturday's doubleheader is free thanks to the good folks at Food City.
Lee led 25-8 at the end of the first quarter but the scoring slowed down in the second frame and the Lady Flames held a 34-15 lead at the halftime break. Points were still hard to come by in the third period as Lee outscored the visitors 12-8 and led 46-23.
With reserves playing a great deal in the final 10 minutes, the scoring picked up again and the Lady Flames put 23 points on the board. Coach Rowe used all 14 players that were dressed out and 11 got into the scoring column.
Mallory Hampton went over the 1,000 point mark for her two-year career at Lee as she finished with 21 points and four assists before being getting a little extra rest. Keira Leffew came off the bench and tallied nine points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished off four assists.
The Lady Flames outrebounded the Lady Bucs 43-26. Addison Smith was tops on the boards with eight rebounds. Anna Muhonen added seven rebounds and six points. Milah Williams had a career-high seven points and Haley Cameron pitched in with six points and six rebounds.
The Lady Flames shot 47% from the field (24-of-51) and made 9-of-24 triples (38%). They were awarded 16 free throws and sank 12. The defense did not allow a CBU player to reach double-figure scoring. The Lady Bucs shot only 22% from the floor (11-of-50). They hit 2-of-14 shots from beyond the arc (14%) and registered 7-of-15 charity attempts.
Lee had 17 assists compared to 16 turnovers. The defense forced 19 CBU turnovers and allowed just four assists. The Lady Flames outscored the visitors 33-19 in points off the bench.
Coach Marty Rowe's thoughts:
"I thought we defended and executed offensively really well in the first quarter, that set a really good tone for the rest of the game. We still have lulls, especially offensively for too many stretches but we'll continue to work on limiting those.
About Saturday's game:
"We're excited about the opportunity that lays in front of us Saturday verses Union. They are one of the best teams in the country and we will need to be very good on both ends of the court."
