Senior Nicky Widenski had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists in Thursday's win over West Georgia.
When the perimeter game is not firing on all cylinders, Lee’s 4th-ranked women’s basketball team has other answers. On Thursday evening the Lady Flames were led by sophomore Camryn Grant and senior Nicky Widenski in posting their 12th straight victory and improving to 15-1 in Gulf South Conference play and 23-1 overall.
Lee made just 4 of 23 shots from beyond the arc but finished the evening by hitting 35 of 72 shots overall (48.6%). They also went to the free-throw line 11 times and converted 10.
Assists were a key for the Lady Flames having 17 compared to 11 turnovers.
Grant had a double-double, 18 points and 14 rebounds while Widenski also tallied 18 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished off six assists in Lee’s convincing 84-49 victory over the visitors from the University of West Georgia. Not to be outdone, senior Abby Bertram continued her outstanding play with a team-leading 21 points and eight rebounds.
“Cam gave us exactly what we needed from the four spot tonight. She was aggressive in going to the basket to score and pulling down rebounds. This is the type of play we will need from her as we head deeper into the schedule and into tournament play,” praised Lee head coach Marty Rowe.
Rowe said Widenski just keeps getting better and noted that his post player’s confidence is stronger. The coach noted that Bertram showed again that she is the best overall guard in the conference.
Taylor Boggess and Haley Schubert had off-night shooting, firing up seven treys with no success. Boggess did grab seven rebounds to go along with seven points while Schubert, one of Lee’s leading scorers, tallied just one point and was forced to only 17 minutes of playing time with four fouls.
The Lady Flames wasted no time in jumping out to a 27-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The margin improved to 47-24 at the half. Lee continued to extend the lead to 68-34 after three periods. Coach Rowe used several reserves in the final frame.
Siera Carter paced the West Georgia (7-8 GSC, 14-9) scoring. She tallied 13 points. Ashley Lee was the only other Wolf in double-figure scoring (11). Lee’s defense held West Georgia to just 26 percent shooting from the field. They were able to convert just 6 of 29 triple attempts and struggled from the charity stripe, 9 of 16.
The Lady Flames will celebrate Senior Night on Saturday at 5 p.m. when they host the University of Auburn at Montgomery. The Warhawks got Coach Rowe’s attention when they posted a 40-point victory over Shorter University on Thursday.