CLEVELAND, Tenn. –It was a hot start from the University of Alabama in Huntsville men's basketball team that gave them an early 23-9 lead and they didn't look back defeating Lee University 82-62 on Saturday. With the loss, the Flames fell to 4-4 overall and 0-4 in Gulf South Conference action. UAH won their ninth straight game and improved to 9-1 overall and 4-0 in GSC play.
 
UAH came out firing hitting six three-point shots in the first five minutes of the contest as they raced out to the lead. The Flames struggled early on to find room for shots on the offensive end as UAH continued to build on the lead.
 
The Chargers extended the lead out to 30 points at 49-19 with two and half minutes left in the first half. But then Giancarlo Valdez led the Flames on an 11-0 run by himself to get it down to 51-30 at the halftime break.
 
The Flames outscored the Chargers in the second 32-31 but it was too little too late as UAH won the game 32-31.
 
The Chargers were 13-of-28 from long range in the contest and shot 53% on the day. They also outrebounded Lee 36-24 in the win. Valdez was the only Flames to score in double-digit points with 16. Zach Gray had nine, Noah Boler-Kyle had eight, and Marlon Smith had seven. Tommy Muir led UAH with 23 points while Blake Campbell had 17.
 
The Flames will go on the road to close out 2024. They will head to the beach and take on the University of West Florida on Thursday, December 19 in Pensacola, Fla.
  
Coach Bubba Smith's Thoughts:
 
"Not much to say as the performance speaks for itself. We aren't playing to the standard we are used to and we have a lot to figure out. We need to have a lot more fight and play with urgency the whole game. Thankfully, still a lot of basketball in front of us."