Lee outscored host Truett-McConnell College 43-26 in the second half and went on to a convincing 72-66 victory over the Bears on Friday afternoon.
The win broke a three-game losing skid by the Flames and helps build coach Tommy Brown's club momentum as they head for Chattanooga to face Tennessee Temple next Thursday at 7 p.m. The Crusaders upset the Flames in double overtime to open the 2009-10 season.
It was the Lee defense that went to work in the second 20 minutes that sparked the victory.
Truett-McConnell held a 36-34 advantage at the end of the first half, but the Flames picked up the pressure in the second 20 minutes and led by as much as 18 points (73-55) with some five minutes remaining.
"I was pleased with the way we got after them on the defensive end in the second half," admitted Brown. "Our guys worked very hard, especially inside, and it showed."
The Bears' leader Tulic Yamasita scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half. The Flames used the defensive effort of Chad James and Tedrick Hardy to slow down the 6-foot-5 Yamasita.
At the same time, Lee was knocking down four key 3-pointers in the second period to pull away from the battling Bears. Larriques Cunningham stepped outside to knock down a pair of treys as did Matt Stilwell.
However, it was Jerel Blocker who had 10 points in the first half and added seven more in the second to pace the balanced Flames scoring with 17 points. Hardy countered with nine points in the opening stanza and finished the contest with 16 points. Cunningham was in double-figures with 14 markers and Stilwell tallied 10. Tyler Cutter ran the Lee offense and converted five straight free throws to finish with nine points.
While Yamasita was setting the scoring pace for the Bears, Dustin Jeffords knocked down seven straight freebies and added 13 points to the losing cause. Quint Moss tossed in 11 and Tyler Thomas gave the Flames some problems with 10 points.
Cunningham and Hardy directed Lee to a 29-25 advantage on the glass, each had six rebounds. Overall, Lee went to the line just 11 times and made good on 10 of the freebies. Truett-McConnell had 17 free-throw attempts and canned 14.
"We didn't take any time off during the week," noted Brown. "We practiced twice on Wednesday and once on Thanksgiving Day. I'll give the guys a couple of days off before we start preparing for Temple on Monday."
The Flames played without leading scorer Josh Nofflet. He and Caleb Skogen are out with groin injuries. Brown said he hoped to have both back for the Temple game.