CLEVELAND, Miss. -Despite a career high 25 points from Tylon Chatman, the Lee University men's basketball team fell to Delta State University 74-67 on Thursday evening. Lee turned the ball over 18 times to just four for the Statesmen. DSU managed 29 points off of turnovers while the Flames had just four.
Lee had 15 more rebounds in the game, but DSU was 24-for-27 from the free throw line in the win.
Delta State scored the four points of the contest before Lee went on a 10-2 run to take the lead. Defensively, the Flames held the Statesmen to just eight points over the first eight minutes of the contest and led16-8. The later portions of the second half, DSU turned up the defensive intensity and ended the last five minutes of the half on a 13-2 run. Lee did not have a field goal the last five minutes of the half.
DSU pushed the lead early in the second half out to nine points at 39-30 before a 9-2 run from the Flames to make it 41-39. A dunk by Tim Vaughn tied the game at 41. After another DSU bucket, Jamarcus Wilkins scored back-to-back buckets to give Lee the 45-43 lead with 11:30 left in the game. After that both teams went into a short scoring drought.
Chris Terrell ended the drought for DSU with a score and a foul. He gave the Statesmen a three-point lead. Tylon Chatman answered with a three and the teams began trading buckets. Neither team led by more than three until it was tied at 55-55 with 5:03 left in the contest.
Then the Statesmen found a groove. Over the next four minutes they went on a 12-0 run. Lee had several missed shots and multiple turnovers during the run for DSU. Chatman finally stopped the bleeding with a layup, but it was too little too late. Lee made a few late shots, while DSU made their free throws to earn the 74-67 win.
Chatman had 25 points on 9-of-14 shots and was one of two players in double figures for Lee with Tim Vaughn scoring 11. Caleb Terrell had a game high 20 points for DSU while Kolby Horace had 22.
The Flames had three more made field goals and two more three-points shots but only was 9-for-15 from the free throw line while DSU was 24-of-27.
With the loss the Flames remain in eighth place in the GSC standings at 6-13 and 10-13 overall. They are now tied with the same record as Auburn University Montgomery, and the University of Florida with three games left in the regular season.
The Flames will stay in the Magnolia State with a match up at Mississippi College on Saturday, February 22 at 5 PM.
Coach Buuba Smith's Thoughts:
"At the end of the day you can't beat yourself. Give credit to Delta State though, they are playing well and are 9-1 since we played them at home. We did some things well tonight but the number one goal of the game was ball security and we didn't have the composure and toughness to control that part of the game, and it cost us. We need it to make us tougher and we have to grow from it. We have a great opportunity Saturday we have to be ready for."
