The Lee women's basketball team secured its seventh consecutive Gulf South Conference victory on Thursday night as they defeated the University of North Alabama, 79-68 inside Walker Arena.
After blowing a 20-point lead and losing in overtime on Jan. 4 in Florence, Ala. the Lady Flames (14-4, 10-2) made sure history did not repeat itself as they closed on a 16-8 run in the final 6:22 to secure the season split with the Lions (11-8, 6-7).
Hollie German and Jenna Adams led the Lady Flames offensive attack with 21 points respectively.
German was a perfect 10-of-10 from the foul line while Adams hit 9-of-14 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds. Madison Lee joined her teammates in double-figures with 10 points while pulling down five boards. Rachel Lockhart tallied six markers on a pair of 3's while dishing off four assists.
"The way they were guarding us on the perimeter opened up opportunities for Jenna (Adams) in the post." noted coach Marty Rowe. "I think that is a plus for us as a team and for her own confidence. We know she's a great shooter but she can also play inside for us."
The Lady Flames got good production from their bench in the contest. Both Karley Miller and Kayla Beavers tallied six points as Lee held a 17-10 advantage in bench scoring.
"Kayla (Beavers) stepped up and made some big plays for us tonight." Rowe said. "She had been really coming on and then got sick which set her back a bit but she is starting to turn it on again and we need that. Karley had a huge put back for us down the stretch as well despite not scoring as much as she normally does."
As a team Rowe's club shot 49.1 percent (26-of-53) from the field which helped to balance out a poor shooting night from behind the arc as the Lady Flames hit just 5-of-18 (27.8 percent). North Alabama converted 39.2 percent from the field while hitting just 5-of-21 (23.8 percent) from 3-point distance.
The Lions were led by speedy guards Jennifer Towne and Lauren Faris. Towne scored 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field. Faris tallied 19 points and did most her damage from the foul line where she hit 11-of-14. Janae Lyde added eight markers and nine rebounds.
"North Alabama has such quick guards and are very difficult to defend." said Rowe. "We had to work really hard, especially on the defensive end to get this victory over a very good basketball team."
Lee out-rebounded the Lions 34-29. Both clubs struggled to take care of the basketball as the Lady Flames committed 22 turnovers leading to 19 UNA points. The Lions were guilty of 19 floor mistakes which led to 22 points for the home team.
After trailing early in the first half 18-12 the Lady Flames used a 20-13 run to close out the period and take a 32-31 advantage into the intermission.
Rowe's club will welcome GSC rival Union University to Walker Arena on Saturdayafternoon for the Annual Hopes for Hope event. Tip time is set for 2 p.m. The Lady Bulldogs (15-4, 10-3) currently sit in third place in the conference standings while the Lady Flames occupy second. The two clubs met on Jan. 6 in Jackson as the Lady Flames claimed a thrilling 68-66 victory on a basket by Jenna Adams with just three seconds remaining in regulation.
Prior to the opening tip of the men's game Lee honored German with a commemorative basketball in honor of her eclipsing the 2000-point mark in her career in last Saturday's victory over Valdosta State. German is one of just four players to reach 2000 points in school history.