ROME, Ga. - With a showdown looming on Saturday against Alabama Huntsville the Lee men's basketball team avoided the proverbial "trap game" on Thursday evening firing past Shorter, 74-55.
Quay Kennedy led a balanced scoring attack with 16 points and six rebounds. Ryan Montgomery scored nine points and got some rest playing just 18 minutes. Alex Kelehear pitched in nine points, hauled in four rebounds and registered three assists.
The big men in the post Jason Landman and Josh Lowe made an impact.
Landman had eight points and seven boards while Lowe tallied six points and had eight rebounds.
The Flames led from start to finish and used smothering defense to open up a 41-17 advantage at the break. It was the second straight game Lee took a 20-plus point lead into the intermission. Shorter went just 6 of 28 from the field in the first half.
"I thought our guys came out tonight and set a great tone on the defensive end. Our first half effort and focus was really good and I thought we shared the ball well," said Lee head coach Bubba Smith. "It was great to get our whole team on the floor in meaningful minutes tonight. I thought Alex and Drayden (Thomas) brought us good minutes in the first half and played with a lot of energy."
The Flames connected on 42.6 percent from the field and drilled 10 triples in the victory. The Hawks were just 17 of 59 (28.8 percent).
Jay Shropshire tallied a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks. Frenki Lilaj and Joe Russell posted 10 points each.
Lee held a 44-32 edge on the boards. Both teams took care of the basketball and committed just seven turnovers each.
The win moves the Flames to 21-5 on the year and 16-3 in the GSC. The Hawks limp to the finish line at 3-25 overall and remain winless in league play at 0-18.
"We're excited about Saturday's matchup against UAH," noted Smith. "It should be a great test for our team."
Lee will close out the regular season in Rocket City as it looks for the season sweep of the No. 20 Alabama Huntsville Chargers. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m.