The Lee men's basketball team used a dominating second half performance to blaze past the visiting Delta State Statesmen, 87-56 on Saturday afternoon in Walker Arena.
The Flames used smothering defense, hit eight triples and Ryan Montgomery and Jason Landman delivered highlight reel dunks to outscore the dazed Statesmen, 53-25 in the final 20 minutes of action. Lee went on a 20-3 run over the first five minutes of the second half.
Montgomery led a balanced scoring effort for the Flames with 17 points and six rebounds.
Quay Kennedy added 13 points while Jayce Willingham and Landman posted 12, all coming in the second half. Beuyan Hendricks chipped in eight points and five assists while Parker Suedekum scored six, dished off six assist and had six rebounds.
The Flames shared the basketball to the tune of 23 assists and committed just 10 turnovers. Lee hit 11 of 30 from downtown and were 36 of 72 (50 percent) from the field.
"I thought we did a great job of sharing the basketball, especially in the second half," said Lee head coach Bubba Smith. "Defensively we really dug in near the end of the first half and kept that energy throughout the game.
Only two Statesmen were in double-figures. Airen Brooks led the way with 15 points while Keyshaun Street had 11. Delta State shot just 39 percent from the field and 29 percent from 3-point land.
The game was played with a quick pace as the two teams combined to commit just 12 fouls the entire game. Delta State was 3 of 3 from the foul line while the Flames went 4 of 5.
Lee dominated the glass holding a 44-27 advantage over the Statesmen including 12 on the offensive side. Landman led the Flames with nine boards, five of which created second chances on the offensive glass. Lee held an 18-2 edge in second half points.
"I was glad to be able to sustain this lead and extended to get some of freshmen on the court," said Smith. "They have really bought into what we need from them in practice, so it was nice to see them get out on the court and perform well tonight."
The Flames will maintain a half game lead in the Gulf South Conference as they improve to 15-4 overall and 10-2 in league play. The Statesmen fall to 7-12 and are 3-8 in the GSC.
Lee will travel to Mississippi College on Thursday to battle the Choctaws for the second time in a week. The Flames defeated the Choctaws, 70-64 last Thursday.