Haley Schubert
Union University outscored the visiting Lee women’s basketball team 19-9 in the fourth quarter to force an overtime period before finally falling to the Lady Flames 72-68 on Saturday afternoon inside the Fred DeLay Gymnasium. Lee finished the first half of the Gulf South Conference schedule with a perfect 12-0 record and stand at 14-2 overall. The Lady Flames have won 11 straight.
“I can’t remember ever completing the first half of our conference schedule by going undefeated,” remarked Lee Coach Marty Rowe.
“To come in and defeat Union on their home court makes it even more special. That does not happen that often and they certainly showed us why today.”
The Lady Flames led by 16 points with 2:47 remaining in the third period before the Lady Bulldogs began their comeback and regulation time ended with the contest deadlocked at 60 and Union outscored Lee 19-9 in the period.
The Lady Bulldogs quickly jumped out to a 68-60 lead in overtime, stunning the Lady Flames. After a quick timeout, Mia Hurst knocked down a long 3-point shot to cut the lead to 68-63 and Haley Schubert followed with a 2-pointer to make it 68-65. Schubert came right back with a 3-point play the old fashioned way to tie the game at 68.
It was Union’s turn to call a timeout. Schubert nailed another 2-pointer and Hurst sealed the victory by canning a pair of free-throws as the Lady Flames began the celebration with the 72-68 overtime victory.
Schubert went over the 2,000 point mark for her career. She finished with 27 points, five assists and also carded four steals. She made 11-of-24 shots from the field. Macy Woodworth had 10 points and seven rebounds. Addison Smith played her role with nine points and nine rebounds. Mallory Hampton had eight rebounds and five assists. Haylee Johnson had nine points.
The Lady Flames outrebounded the Lady Bulldogs 40-31 which made Coach Rowe an extremely coach. Lee also forced Union into 20 turnovers and outscored the home club 36-32 in points in the paint. The rugged contest saw Lee shoot 44% from the field (27-of-61) and made just 6-of-19 triples (32%). In a physical game, they made 12-of-17 free throws.
Union shot 42% from the field (24-of-58) but was held to just 29% from beyond the arc (7-of-24). The Lady Bulldogs made 13-of-18 freebies and turned the basketball over 17 times. Shanique Lucas paced the losers in scoring with 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Lauren West came on strong late and hit three triples in finishing with 10 points.
“It was a great job today with our team hanging in there and getting a tough road win. It is what you expect from a Lee/Union game and I am just proud of how we fought to the end,” noted Coach Rowe. “It takes a total team effort to win these kinds of games and being able to find different people to step up in different situations is huge for our team’s growth.”
The Lady Flames will return to GSC action on Thursday and will host another strong rival in West Florida. The first game of the doubleheader is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip. Next Saturday, Lee will host Valdosta State, a team that has not lost since falling to the Lady Flames in the opening GSC game of the season back in November.