CARROLLTON, Georgia – The University of West Georgia continued to establish itself as one of the top teams in the Gulf South Conference by handing the Lee University men an 80-66 defeat on Monday night at The Coliseum. The Wolves improved to 8-2 in conference play and 12-2 overall. The visiting Flames fell to 7-3, 9-3. 

Lee will regroup and return to Walker Arena on Thursday and host Christian Brothers University in the nightcap of a doubleheader which is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. The home action will continue on Saturday when the Flames will host rival Union University, also slated for the second game of the twinbill at 4 p.m. 

The Wolves held a 36-28 lead at halftime and the margin increased to 16 points midway of the second period before Willie Walton nailed a 3-pointer to cut the lead to eight points. However, West Georgia pulled away again and key defensive stops down the stretch helped produce the victory. 

Camron Donatian had an outstanding performance in pacing the Wolves. His double-double totaled 36 points (14-of-20) shooting and 10 rebounds. Zawdie Jackson followed with 15 points. He also dished off four assists while Amari Davis rounded out the double-figure scoring with 12 points. Kolten Griffin had eight rebounds as West Georgia out-boarded Lee 41-31. 

The Flames placed five players in double-digit scoring. Beyuan Hendricks continued to lead the way with 13 points. Walton came off the bench and canned three triples and finishing with 13 points. Noah Boler-Kyle and Tim Vaughn had 12 markers apiece and Boler-Kyle was the leading rebounder with six. JJ Barnes returned to West Georgia, where he had played the last four seasons, and scored 11 points for Lee. 

The Flames shot 38% from the floor (24-of-64) and made 7-of-24 3-pointers (29%). They made 11-of-19 free throws. On the other hand, the Wolves shot a solid 55% from the field (29-of-53). They attempted only 10 triples and converted three, but marched to the free-throw line 25 times and made 19. A big difference also came in points in the paint for West Georgia, outscoring Lee 52-33.  

Coach Bubba Smith's thoughts: 

"The game rewards toughness and we were not the tougher team tonight. We didn't have a lot of fight in certain sections and then in others we battled but it wasn't enough. 

"They were plus 20 in the paint. We have to find ways to get stops in the paint otherwise it could be tough on the road when we don't get calls. 

"We have to find ways to break through and not quit when calls don't go our way as we get ready to battle CBU back at home."