CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Preparing for an important contest with the University of Alabama in Huntsville on Saturday afternoon, the Lee University women coasted to an 82-66 victory over the University of West Alabama on Thursday evening inside Walker Arena. The Lady Flames improved to 2-1 in GSC play and 8-1 overall. They will face a Charger team that is 3-0, 7-1. Saturday's first game of a doubleheader is slated for a 2 p.m. tip.
Lee jumped out to a 21-7 lead at the end of the first period and built the margin to 41-17 by halftime. The run-away continued in the third period as the Lady Flames pushed the lead to 30 points (66-36). Coach Marty Rowe cleared his entire bench in the final frame, allowing the Tigers to cut into the final total.
Mallory Hampton posted solid numbers across the board. She finished with 27 points in 27 minutes of playing time, making 8-of-9 shots from the field. Her shooting included 2-of-3 triples and 9-of-9 free throws. Haylee Johnson and Haley Cameron followed with 12 points apiece while Johnson dished off seven assists. Anna Muhonen finished with nine points.
The Lady Flames shot 56% from the field (27-of-48). They made only 4-of-17 3-pointers (24%) and went to the line 30 times, converting 24. The Tigers shot 40% overall (19-of-48), made 4-of-13 triples (31%) and hit 24-of-32 free throws. A total of 50 fouls were called in the game.
Julia Rodriguez made 13-of-18 free tosses and finished with 22 points. Shayla Golden had 14 points and six rebounds while Kendall Lacoste was the third West Alabama player in double-digit scoring with 12 points.
Lee outrebounded the Tigers 30-22. Baylee Delbridge was the leader with four while five other Lady Flames collected three rebounds apiece. The Lady Flames tallied 42 points in the paint and outscored the visitors 16-3 in fast-break points.
Coach Marty Rowe's thoughts:
"We're pleased with our overall effort tonight on both ends, obviously we fouled way too much in the second half and need to work on that. It's a simple formula for this group, our mindset has to be play harder and compete harder than anyone we play. If we continue be focused on those things, we can continue to improve as a group. We are looking forward to Saturday. UAH is playing at an extremely high level and this sets up to be a great early season matchup for both teams."
