A slow start proved too much to overcome as the Lee men's basketball team fell at West Alabama, 64-58 on Saturday afternoon.
The Flames fell behind 16-3 to start the contest after not playing for 13 days due to health and safety protocols. The rust didn't persist long as the Flames cut to the deficit to four at 28-24 at the halftime break.
The Tigers would extend the margin to 12 with five minutes remaining in the second half before the Flames made one final run and cut the lead to two on a layup by Beyuan Hendricks with 30 seconds remaining.
West Alabama would seal the win with a Te Smith layup, a defensive stop and a pair of free throws.
"We've had a hard time winning when we've had slow starts this season, but I thought our guys battled back in both halves," said Lee head coach Bubba Smith.
"You can't give a good team like UWA that much of a cushion because they don't beat themselves."
It was tough night from the tip for the Flames offensively. As a team, Lee shot just 33 percent and went 3 of 17 from the 3-point line. Jayce Willingham led the way with 14 points and eight rebounds. Michael McGuirk followed with 13 points and nine rebounds. Makhi McGuire rounded out the double-figure scoring with 12 points. Jason Landman grabbed 10 rebounds and posted seven points in 20 minutes of action.
"Offensively it looked like we haven't played in two weeks. We had some chances early around the rim and just couldn't get shots to fall," added Smith. "Defensively we competed hard enough to win on most nights. We felt if we won the rebounding battle and got to the free throw line more, we would have a chance, and we did both of those tonight. Credit to UWA, they just made a few more plays than we did."
Kortrijk Miles led the Tigers with a game-high 23 points and seven rebounds. Justin Allison did a little bit of everything with 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks. Shardarrion Allen tallied 12 points and five rebounds.
The win moves West Alabama to 16-4 overall and 9-3 in the GSC. With the loss the Flames drop to 10-6 and 6-4 in the GSC.
Lee will stay on the road to battle Delta State on Monday evening at 7:30 p.m. before coming back home to take on rival Shorter on Thursday at 8 p.m.
"Our guys have always responded well after a tough loss. I expect them to do the same heading into Monday's game with Delta State," concluded Smith.