Thanks to some key defensive stops and clutch foul shooting down the stretch the Lee women's basketball team outlasted West Florida, 89-86 in a double-overtime thriller from Walker Arena on Monday evening.
Freshman Lindsey Roddy darted to the hoop and scored with just two seconds left in regulation to tie things up at 67 for the Lady Flames. Carrie Cheeks followed by delivering a huge block on the other end to send the contest into the first overtime. Cheeks finished the game with four blocks.
West Florida's Katie O'Neal hit two clutch free throws with four seconds left in the first overtime to tie things up at 75.
With no timeouts the Lady Flames had to travel the length of the court and were unable to get a good look at a winning shot.
In the second overtime the Lady Flames used an early 6-0 run and converted at the foul line late to hold on for the victory.
"We got numerous big stops and we made free throws down the stretch. It was nice to see us handle the basketball with composure in such a tight game," said head coach Marty Rowe. "We are very similar to them, long and athletic and have multiple people that can score so I think that's why we play such close games against West Florida."
Junior guard Erin Walsh delivered a game-high 26 points and hit four triples and 8 of 9 foul shots to lead the Lady Flames. Roddy added 18 points and eight rebounds while Abby Bertram stepped up with 15 points and five boards.
Courtney Meyer tallied 12 points and cleaned up the glass with 20 rebounds for the Argonauts as they displayed a balanced scoring attack with five players reaching double-figures. Imani Mulmore's 20 points paced the scoring effort while O'Neal added 18 points, including 9 of 10 from the line. Toni Brewer followed with 15 and seven rebounds while Katie Bobos had 11 points and 10 boards.
The Lady Flames converted 10 3-pointers and limited West Florida to just 3 of 24 from beyond the arc. The Argonauts got to the line 40 times but cashed in just 27 (67.5 percent). The Lady Flames were 23 of 31 from the foul line, good for 74.2 percent.
The Lee defensive buckled down forcing 18 turnovers while swatting away 11 shots and swiping six steals. "I was so proud of the energy and determination we showed in the game. We defended with purpose and showed a lot of heart and that's something we've talked about that's been missing at times in our play," said a pleased Rowe. "We've got a big road trip coming up so we'll enjoy this one tonight and see if we can't continue to get better each and every day."
The double-overtime classic should come as no surprise to fans. Lady Flames and Argonauts played three times last season and the three contests were decided by a grand total of seven points.
The victory moves Lee back into a tie for first place in the Gulf South Conference. The Lady Flames improve to 10-3 overall and are 5-2 in league play. The loss drops West Florida into the same record at 10-3 and 5-2.
Lee will now head to West Tennessee to tangle with Christian Brothers University in Memphis on Thursday at 6 p.m. and old rival Union University in Jackson, Tenn. on Saturday at 3 p.m.