The Lee University women’s basketball team exploded in the third period to break open a close game on its way to a 71-55 Gulf South Conference (GSC) win over Shorter University Saturday evening in Paul Dana Walker Arena.
The Lady Flames (14-3, 7-2 GSC) led Shorter (4-11, 2-7 GSC) 33-31 at the halftime break before outscoring the Lady Hawks 20-7, including a 16-1 run, in the third period to extend the lead to 15. Lee led by as much as 21 with 4:16 left in the fourth period.
Erin Walsh and Shelby Brown were the only Lee players to break into double figures in scoring.
Walsh finished the game with 13 points to go with two rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot and one steal. Brown inched closer to the 1,000-point career mark with 10 points. The senior remains 15 points shy of the milestone.
Brown was tied with Tori Lentz for the team lead with seven rebounds. Brown also dished out three assists, while Lentz contributed four points to the cause.
Haley Cornellison came off the bench to make two 3-pointers and grab three rebounds. The senior also recorded an assist and a steal in seven minutes of playing time.
“I felt we were loose with the ball in the first half,” admitted Lee head coach Marty Row. “We didn’t do a good job with handling how they play defense. We did a much better job in the third quarter. We came out, executed and got some stops. It was good for us to finish the way we did and stretch a lead. We hadn’t done that in a while.”
The Lady Flames were charged with a season-high 29 turnovers in the game. Shorter was guilty of 22 floor mistakes of their own. Both teams converted the opponent’s turnovers into 20 points.
Overall, the Lady Flames made 30-of-52 (.577) shots from the field and were 5-for-16 (.313) from behind the arc. Shorter was held to 28.8-percent (17-for-59) from the floor and made just 5-of-18 (.278) from long distance. The Lady Hawks made 25 trips to the free throw line and made 16 (.640), while Lee connected on 6-of-11 (.545) attempts.
Lee outrebounded the visitors 41-28, but Shorter’s 13-10 advantage on the offensive boards led them to outscore the Lady Flames 17-6 in second-chance points. The Lady Flames received 31 points from the bench, while Shorter’s three bench players were held scoreless.
“We can’t settle and stop here,” added Brown. “We need to continue to get better each day in practice. Each game is an opportunity to prove ourselves, because we want to be our best come March.”
The Lady Flames look to extend their five-game win streak with a pair of home games this coming week. Lee welcomes Delta State University to campus on Thurs., Jan. 18 for a 6 p.m. contest before facing Mississippi College on Saturday at 2 p.m.