CLEVELAND, Tenn. -The University of West Alabama Men's Basketball team secured their second conference win of the season in thrilling fashion on Thursday night, defeating the Lee Flames, 68-67.
Both West Alabama (6-3, 2-1 GSC) and Lee (4-3, 0-3 GSC) had solid offensive nights as the Flames shot 59 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from three while UWA shot 44.4 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three. The biggest difference was on the offensive boards as the Tigers recorded 10, resulting in 10 second chance points while the Flames only grabbed one and registered zero second chance points.
"Unbelievable effort tonight," said head coach Nick Woodruff. "We've talked about it before how hard it is to win a GSC game on the road. Man, there's nothing like winning a conference road game."
In a back-and-forth first half, West Alabama came out fast off as Thaddeus Williams and Rasean Frederick carried a 7-0 run to give the Tigers a 15-10 lead, seven minutes in. UWA continued to sizzle on that end of the floor, with Caleb McGill knocking down his second three of the half. Frederick and Marcellious Lockett followed McGill's three with baskets of their own, pushing West Alabama's lead out to 22-16 with 10:17 left in the period. Two possessions later, Lee went on their first run of the night as Lee Ritger began a 10-2 Flames' run, giving Lee a 26-24 lead. From there on out, the game saw five lead changes, with UWA taking a four-point lead into halftime after a three from Lockett on the final possession.Â
West Alabama shot 48 percent from the floor and 42 percent from three in the first half while Lee shot 59 percent from the field and 38 percent from three.
The Tigers blitzed the Flames to begin the second half, using a 7-0 run to take their largest lead of the night at 44-33, just over a minute into the period. After a fast paced start, the game slowed down a bit which caters more to UWA as the Tigers sustained a 48-38 lead with 14:38 remaining. On their next possession, Frederick converted on a three-point play before Lee went on a run to get back in the game. The Flames proceeded to score nine unanswered points to cut the Tigers lead down to two with 7:38 left to play. UWA responded as Jaylen Lemons buried back-to-back threes to put West Alabama back up by eight. With 6:36 to play, a jumper from Lee's Tylon Chatman sparked a massive 13-5 run for the Flames, tying the game at 65 with 1:27 remaining. Williams pushed the Tigers back out in front with a mid-range jump shot before Lee's Tariq Daughton converted on a game-tying layup with seven seconds. Pressing off of their game-tying basket, the Flames fouled Lockett on the inbounds pass, sending the West Alabama guard to the free throw line. With three seconds left, Lockett made the first and missed the second as a half court heave from the Flames didn't fall, resulting in a 68-67 win for the Tigers.
Four UWA's players finished in double figures, with Williams leading the way with a game-high 19 points on 7-12 shooting and 2-3 from three.
Really proud of our guys," Coach Woodruff continued. "Gutty effort tonight to withstand Lee's run in the second half."
West Alabama will be back in action on Saturday when they face off against the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans at 4:00 p.m. in Nashville.
