CLEVELAND, Tenn. –12 different Lee University men's basketball players got in the scoring column as the Flames celebrated a 87-66 Homecoming victory of Sewanee on Saturday afternoon. In a packed Walker Arena, the Lee supporters got their first look at the 2024-25 Flames in the final exhibition before the season starts next week.
Early on the teams traded three-point shots and the score was close for the first few minutes. Then the Flames kicked it into gear and went on a 14-0 run. The run was driven by the three-point shot. Tylon Chatman, Giancarlo Valdez, Zach Gray, and Hayden Moseley all hit one in that stretch.
The Flames continued to push the tempo and started to attack the rim. Tariq Daughton had a layup and Tim Vaughn had a dunk to give the Flames a 22-point lead at the halftime break.
The start of the second half saw Marlon Smith and Noah Boler-Kyle spark another run. A jumper from Smith and a dunk from Noler-Kyle saw the Flames lead extend to its largest margin at 29 points (66-37).
Most of the rest of the game, Coach Bubba Smith put in the younger players to give them some experience as the Flames won 87-66.
Boler-Kyle led the way with 14 points while newcomer Smith had 13. Valdez, Daughton, and Chatman all had double digit points in the win. Sewanee had Rashaun Williams go for 15 points while Graham Smith and Russ Marr each had 12 points.
As a team, the Flames shot 52.9% from the field and. Only turned the ball over nine times.
The Flames will begin the season next week as they will host the University of Tennessee Southern at Walker Arena on Saturday, November 9 at 4 PM.
Coach Bubba Smith's Thoughts:
"It's always fun to play in front of a great homecoming crowd today. These games are fun and it's nice to get every guy on the floor.
I thought we did some good things today and had some growth. We still have a long way to go defensively and will need to take another step forward this week.
I thought we were unselfish and shared the ball most of the day. It's good to see the ball go in and see guys pass up good shots for great ones.
Everything from now on counts so we have to get back to work this week."
