A strong second-half surge by the Lee men’s basketball team helped coach Bubba Smith post his first victory as head coach of the Flames. The win came in the SIAC/GSC Challenge being hosted by the University of West Georgia.
After a first half that saw the lead change a total of 19 times, the Flames found themselves down at the halftime break 34-33.
The second 20 minutes was an entirely different story as Lee surged out to a commanding 17-point advantage and then turn back a late comeback by Miles College in the 85-74 victory.
“I guess you would have to say we are a second-half team right now,” said Coach Smith during the post-game interview.
The Flames ran away from Piedmont College in the second half of an exhibition game last weekend and did the same again against the Golden Bears.
Keevin Tyus led the second-half surge exploding for 23 of his game-high 32 points. “Keevin is a senior and that is what we should expect from our upperclassmen,” pointed out Smith. Tyus hit 12-of-16 shots from the field and stepped up to nail three key free throws in the final minutes.
Senior Jervon Johnson tallied 13 points and was 5-of-10 from the field including a pair of 3-pointers. Newcomer Cody Jones helped spark 52 second-half points and finished with nine points to go along with three assists. Junior Levi Woods had seven points and five assists, while freshman Ryan Montgomery hit a pair of treys and had eight points while garnering five rebounds. Mike Kobani added seven points to the winning margin.
The Flames shot a blistering 59 percent from the field in the second half and finished the contest with an even 50 percent mark (32-of-64). With Woods, Jones and Rico Overall leading the way, the Flames had 17 assists to only nine for Miles.
“This is a very unselfish team,” noted Smith. “They enjoy sharing the basketball. If there was a negative it was the way we reacted after taking the 17-point lead, but that is something we can talk about and learn from.”
The Golden Bears were led by 16 points by Carl Garcia, 15 points from Sheldon Wright and 13 by Chauncey Day. The losers shot a solid 48 percent from the field and converted 17-of-20 freebies in keeping the contest close most of the way.
The Flames will be right back in action on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. facing Lane College (Jackson, Tenn.) in the final round of the SIAC/GSC Challenge. Lane was defeated by host West Georgia 89-76 in the final game on Saturday afternoon.