FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.- It was a 10-0 run in the second half that allowed the University of West Georgia Wolves to pull away and defeat the Lee University men's basketball team 75-61 on Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. After trailing by just one point at the half time break, the Flames were outscored 44-31 in the second half in the defeat.
For the Flames they were led by two graduate students as JJ Barnes had 18 points and Beyuan Hendricks had 14 points in the loss. Lee did not shoot well in the game going 20-for-60 from the field and 3-for-21 from the three-point arc.
Hendricks ended his fantastic career for Lee with All-South Region First Team honors, leading the team with 16.9 ppg and 169 assists. Barnes put an exclamation point on his career, averaging 12.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg while registering 57 steals as he and Hendricks played over 1,000 minutes this season in the backcourt.
The first half was a tight affair as the two teams traded the lead seven times and had it tied six times as well. Neither squad was able to have more than a five point advantage in the first half. UWG went into the break leading 31-30.
The second half was a different story. Lee tied the game at 32-32 before the Wolves responded with a 10-0 run and put the game out of reach. The lead blossomed to as much as 14 points before the Flames brought it back to within six points. UWG made their free throws down the stretch and earned the win.
UWG was 18-for-30 from the free throw line while Lee was 18-for-26. The Flames got outrebounded 46-35. Camron Donatlan and Zawdie Jackson each had 17 points to lead the Wolves.
With the loss, the Flames season comes to an end in the NCAA tournament with a 21-9 record.
This marks the fourth time in five years that the Flames have qualified for the NCAA National Tournament. In those five years, the Flames have made it to the GSC Semifinals each year and posted a record of 97-39 and a .713 winning percentage.
Coach Bubba Smith's Thoughts
"After your season you look at your team and your season as a whole. You look back at your seniors and all the defining moments of the year. We knew what we had in the locker room this season and the character of our guys. We had a stretch early on where we played well. Then we struggled a little bit in early January and it could have been a defining moment, but the character of our team came through and we fought back and qualified for the tournament."
For our seniors to be able to experience four tournaments in five years is awesome. The leadership from JJ and Beyuan has been great all season long. The foundation they set will serve us well for years to come."
