Lady Flames Defeat Reinhardt, 62-38
WALESKA, Ga. – Coach Marty Rowe was not overly impressed with the play of his Lee Lady Flames in Tuesday evening’s 62-38 win over host Reinhardt College. However, his club picked up a full game in the SSAC race when Berry knocked off Shorter.
On a positive note, Lee went to the free-throw line 24 times and converted 22 (92 percent). The defense held Reinhardt to only 26 percent shooting from the field. The Lady Eagles struggled from the charity stripe, converting just 12-of-22 attempts.
With Brooke McKinnon and Katie Nelson leading the scoring, the Lady Flames will take a two-game lead into another conference game with Brenau University on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. It will be Pink Zone day in Walker Arena and Lee is hoping to pack the gym in support of the fight against breast cancer.
“I was not pleased with the way we moved our feet defensively, especially in the first half,†said coach Rowe. “I told our girls we would have to play much better if we hope to defeat Brenau on Saturday.â€
Lee claimed a 35-20 lead by halftime and were never threatened in improving its record to 21-5 overall and 13-3 in the SSAC. Reinhardt slipped to 8-17 and 4-11.
McKinnon was 5-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from behind the arc. She also was a perfect 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. She finished with 14 points. Nelson got into early foul trouble and played only 25 minutes. She netted 12 points and grabbed five rebounds. The junior post player made scoring tough on the Lady Eagle players by blocking six shots.
Rowe praised another strong performance by Kayce Addison. The junior forward scored seven points and claimed five rebounds. Addison added four key steals. Kari Jo Harris also gave the Lady Flames a lift in the first 20 minutes. She canned a pair of 3-pointers and finished with nine points and eight rebounds.
Freshman Kally Eldridge also played well for the ninth-ranked Lady Flames. She had six points in 16 minutes. The former Bradley Central player suffered a concussion near the end of the contest and will be watched closely over the next few days. Reinhardt, playing without their leading scorer Karina Gass, who suffered a knee injury on Saturday, did not have a player in double-figure scoring.
The Lady Flames used all 13 players and Rowe said that should help his club prepare for Saturday’s contest. In fact, the Lady Flames have only three conference games remaining. After hosting Brenau, Berry comes to Walker Arena on the 26th and Lee will close out the regular season by traveling to Shorter on the 28th.
Flames Defeat Reinhardt, 76-48
WALESKA, Ga. – After a disappointing defeat at Brewton-Parker on Saturday, coach Tommy Brown’s Lee team rebounded in impressive style on Tuesday night, overwhelming host Reinhardt College, 76-48.
“It was good to see our guys perform this way,†said Brown after his Flames improved to 21-6 overall and 12-4 in the important SSAC race. “I thought we got a good effort from every player tonight and that’s what it’s going to take to get this club to where we want to be.â€
Lee made 10 3-point shots in 21 attempts (48 percent). Stephen McClellan had four treys, while Chad James stepped up with three makes from behind the arc. McClellan finished with a game-high 18 points. James totaled nine points and also blocked six shots to go along with five rebounds.
Josh Nofflet came off the bench and poured in 13 points. He also grabbed four rebounds in 21 minutes of playing time. Caleb Skogen was solid on both ends of the floor and also tallied nine points to go along with two assists and two steals. Keith Dodd gave the Flames 13 good minutes with seven points and three rebounds.
For the game, the Flames shot 54 percent from the field. The only negative point came at the free-throw line, where they made just 12-of-21 (57 percent). Brown admitted that his team was still a little tired from three tough games last week and that might have been the reason for the poor performance at the line.
The Lee defense held the Eagles to just 27 percent shooting from the field (17-of-63). Reinhardt attempted 14 3-pointers and made only two (14 percent). Quinton Spivey was the only Reinhardt player in double-figure scoring. He had 15 points. Kyle Bishop came on late and added seven points and claimed a pair of steals.
Lee won the rebounding battle, 44-31. Harold Griffin had seven boards but was limited to only 12 minutes of play because of foul problems. Paco Diaw did not have his usual offensive performance, but the senior blocked four shots and claimed six rebounds.
The Flames step out of conference play on Saturday afternoon and travel to Beckley, W. Va. to face fifth-ranked Mountain State University. Game time is slated for 4 p.m.