The Lee University men’s basketball team scored 50 second-half points on the its way to a 79-70 victory over Miles College on the second day of the GSC/SIAC Classic in Paul Dana Walker Arena. The Flames (2-0) and Golden Bears (0-2) were knotted at 29 following the first 20 minutes.
Lee scored the first five points of the second half to gain a lead they would not relinquish. With the score 40-36 following a free throw by Miles’ Louis Blakes at 15:07 on the clock, the Flames went on a 15-2 run to extend their lead to 17 (55-38) with 10:04 remaining.
Miles responded with a 10-0 run to cut the Lee lead to seven with just under eight minutes to go. The Golden Bears would get within five twice in the final two minutes, but that would be the closest they would get.
“We knew no lead was safe against them,” said Lee head coach Bubba Smith. “They can make runs and can make plays. They made a run and we countered it at the end. The game should have been stretched out a little more if we finished at the line.”
Eleven Lee players saw over five minutes of playing time with nine of those contributing to the point total. Four Flames finished the game in double-figures.
Parker Suedekum made 6-of-8 shots from the field, including 2-of-3 3-pointers on his way to a team-leading 17 points. Levi Woods, Ryan Montgomery and Michael McGuirk each tallied 13 points. Woods pulled down 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. He also dished off five assists.
Bryce Copeland knocked down a couple 3-pointers and finished with eight points to go with five boards. Colton Blevins added six points, while Keaton Dotson had four. Jason Landman and Leander Ridgeway, Jr., added three and two, respectively.
“Parker and ‘Cope’ are just so steady,” added Smith. “’Cope’ does so many things that just don’t show up on the stat sheet. Defensively, he is a bulldog. You can put him on their best player and he’s going to find ways to get stops.”
Lee outrebounded Miles by a 36-29 margin. Cody Jones, Blevins and Landman added four each to the rebound total.
Miles was led by Blakes and Jeffrey Dockett, who scored 22 points each. Carl Garcia was the only other Golden Bear in double-digits with 13 markers. Garcia recorded a team-high seven rebounds and three assists.
The Flames were 30-for-58 (.517) from the field and 11-for-24 (.458) from behind the arc. Miles was 26-for-63 (.413) and made 8-of-26 (.308) attempts from distance. The Golden Bears held a slim advantage at the free throw line, making 10-of-16 (.625), while Lee went to the line 15 times and made eight (.533).
Lee remains at home for its next contest on Wed. Nov. 15. The Flames host Tusculum College in a non-conference matchup at 8 p.m.
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