The Lee University women's basketball team opened its Gulf South Conference schedule with a 79-69 loss at Union University Thursday evening. The Lady Flames (7-1, 0-1 GSC) were unable to overcome the hot first-half shooting of Union University (5-2, 1-0 GSC).
Both teams entered the game ranked nationally. Lee was No. 16 in the WBCA Coaches Poll and No. 8 in the D2SIDA Media Poll. Union was No. 20 in the WBCA Coaches Poll.
The Lady Bulldogs made 10-of-16 shots (.625) from the field and were 6-for-7 from beyond the arc on the way to taking a 26-19 lead after the first 10 minutes.
Union made another two 3-pointers in three tries to hold a 43-26 halftime lead.
“Union played much better than we did and exposed some things on both ends that we need to address,” said Lee head coach Marty Rowe. “I loved the fight we showed down the stretch, but we can’t dig that big a hole against a quality team like Union. The things we were able to get by in our first seven games, we weren’t able to get by today.”
Lee cut into the Union lead with a 16-11 third quarter score where they held the Lady Bulldogs to just 3-of-14 (.214) shooting. Union heated back up in the fourth quarter to 61.54-percent (8-for-13), but Lee could only cut two more points off the deficit with a 27-25 fourth-quarter margin.
Haley Schubert was the Lee leader on offense. She made 8-of-17 shots, including 2-of-5 from distance, on her way to a game-high 20 points. The senior added five rebounds and four assists.
Halle Hughes posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. She nailed 6-of-8 shots and was a perfect 3-for-3 behind the 3-point line. Hannah Garrett supplied 15 points to go with six rebounds.
Union had four players score in double figures. Bethany Dillard drilled five 3-pointers and added two free throws for 17 points. Ashtyn Baker and Jaelencia Williams threw in 15 points each, while Shanique Lucas tallied 14. Lucas led Union with seven boards and three steals. Baker had six rebounds and seven assists. Williams grabbed five rebounds to go with three blocked shots.
Overall, the Lady Flames held a slight 39-30 rebounding advantage. Lee turned 15 offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points, while their hosts attained 11 second-chance points off nine offensive boards.
Lee remains on the road for another GSC contest on Saturday. The Lady Flames are scheduled to take on Christian Brothers University at 2 p.m. EST in Canale Arena.