Led by a balanced scoring attack and shut down defense the Lee women's basketball team stormed past Emmanuel College, 67-41 Saturday evening at Walker Arena.

The Lady Flames jumped out to a comfortable 36-17 advantage at the intermission, limiting the Lady Lions to just 20.8 percent (5-of-24) shooting from the field in the opening half. The stingy Lee defense allowed just 14 field goals in the contest and limited Emmanuel to only two 3-pointers. For the game the Georgia-based club shot 30.4 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from behind the arc for the game.

Jenna Adams paced the Lee offensive attack with 16 points. The sophomore forward also grabbed eight rebounds and had two steals. Hollie German tallied 13 markers and dished off six assists while also swiping a pair of steals. Julia Zimmerman canned four treys to account for her 12 points.

"I didn't think we shot the ball as well as we did on Thursday but I was pleased with our overall effort" said coach Marty Rowe. "I was really pleased with our inside play, particularly without Karley (Miller) in the lineup. I think we've discovered some good depth down inside."

Myriah Illes was one of those post players Rowe spoke of. The junior forward pulled down eight rebounds to go along with five points. Freshman Christina Johnson once again saw extended minutes and finished with five boards.

Lee shot 40.3 percent from the field, converting 25-of-62. Once again the 3-point shot was a major part of the Lady Flames arsenal as they went 12-of-29 from behind the arc, good for 41.4 percent. Coach's Rowe's club won the battle on the boards, outrebounding the Lady Lions by a 44-32 margin.

The victory moves the seventh-ranked Lady Flames to 21-2 overall and 11-2 in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC). The loss drops Emmanuel to 14-8 and 8-6 against conference opponents.

"I was surprised we were able to defeat a very good Emmanuel team this easily" admitted Rowe. "If we have to meet them again it's sure to be a tougher contest."

Lee will be begin a busy week of action starting on Tuesday with a trip to Chattanooga to tangle with long-time rival Tennessee Temple at 7 p.m. Following Tuesday's contest will be a SSAC East showdown with Southern Poly on Thursday. The Hornets sit atop the division standings at 13-2 in conference play and handed Lee one of their two losses on the year, beating them on a last second bucket, 70-69 Jan. 26 in Marietta, Ga. Tip time is set for 6 p.m. at Walker Arena.

"We certainly don't want to look past Temple on Tuesday." stated Rowe. "We do want a big crowd to come out next Thursday against Southern Poly. It will be our annual Hoops for Hope game and we will also be retiring the jersey of Brooke McKinnon. So it will be a special night." The annual Hoops for Hope Game benefits the Lee Unviersity Developmental Inclusion Classroom (LUDIC) for children with Autism. The effort has raised over $5,000 in the past three years.