PENSACOLA, Fla. -- In a game that was originally scheduled for January 30, the Lee Flames lost to University of West Florida, 80-68. The Flames dropped into a 10th-place tie in the Gulf South Conference with the Argonauts at 5-13.
"West Florida has played a lot better of late," said Lee head coach Tommy Brown. "They have played well and won a lot more lately. When this game was originally scheduled, they weren't playing that well. Sometimes things like that just don't work out for you."
Lee (9-15) held a 52-47 advantage with 13:14 left on the second half clock. UWF (6-18) went on a 26-5 run over the next nine minutes to take a commanding 73-57 lead.
The Flames were outscored 33-16 in the final 13 minutes of the game.
"We hit a wall," admitted Brown. "We were fatigued, had no legs and no energy. We had a lot of open looks, but just didn't hit them."
Cory Billingsley led the Flames with 17 points. Bryce Copeland and Valentino Thomas each tallied 11 points, while Jamal Worthington threw in another 10.
The Argonauts received a double-double from Nate Johnson. Johnson had 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
Terrence Townes led all scoring with 22 points and Ellis Young added another 19 markers.
UWF won the battle of the boards by a 32-28 margin. Lee hit 46 percent (26-of-56) of its shots, including 7-of-15 (.467) from beyond the arc. West Florida was only 4-for-12 (.333) from three-point territory, but made 28-of-54 (.519) shots from the field.
The big advantage for West Florida came at the free throw line. The Argonauts made 24 trips and converted 20, while the Flames made just 14 trips, making nine tries.
"We will take an NCAA-mandated day off tomorrow and get back to work on Wednesday," said Brown.
Lee travels to Carrollton, Ga., on Thursday to face the University of West Georgia. The GSC matchup is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip.