It was a 10-0 run in the second half that allowed the University of West Georgia Wolves to pull away and defeat the Lee University men’s basketball team 75-61 on Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. After trailing by just one point at the half time break, the Flames were outscored 44-31 in the second half in the defeat.
For the Flames they were led by two graduate students as JJ Barnes had 18 points and Beyuan Hendricks had 14 points in the loss. Lee did not shoot well in the game going 20-for-60 from the field and 3-for-21 from the three-point arc.
The first half was a tight affair as the two teams traded the lead seven times and had it tied six times as well.
Neither squad was able to have more than a five point advantage in the first half. UWG went into the break leading 31-30.
The second half was a different story as after Lee tied the game at 32-32, the Wolves responded with a 10-0 run and put the game out of reach. The lead blossomed to as much as 14 points for the Wolves. Lee brought it back to within six points, but couldn’t bring it any closer. UWG made their free throws down the stretch and earned the win.
UWG was 18-for-30 from the free throw line while Lee was 18-for-26. The Flames got outrebounded 46-35. Camron Donatlan and Zawdie Jackson each had 17 points to lead the Flames.
With the loss, the Flames season comes to an end in the NCAA tournament with a 21-9 record.