Valdosta State's Maggie Davis grabbed a missed Lee free-throw with just over eight seconds remaining and drove the length of the floor for a layup to give the visiting Lady Blazers a 64-63 heart-stopping victory over the host Lady Flames.
Lee quickly called a timeout with 2.5 seconds remaining but a half-court heave by Alex Swope came up short just before the final horn sounded and for the second time this season Valdosta State scored in the final seconds to hand the Lady Flames a defeat.
"This one is on me," said a dejected Lee coach Marty Rowe after the Lady Flames slipped to 12-6 overall and 9-6 in Gulf South Conference play. "I really feel bad for our team. We fought hard but give Valdosta credit, they made the plays that counted near the end."
The fast-paced contest was tied four times and featured six lead changes. Lee held a 31-27 lead at the half and at times seemed to be in control until late in the contest. "We just could not pull away to a comfortable lead," noted Rowe. "They just kept fighting back and we are not as mentally tough as we need to be to win this type of game. We also had our chances to pull away in the first half but 15 turnovers hurt those chances."
Freshman Emileigh Swafford poured in 25 points to spark the Lee offensive attack. She made 10-of-21 shots from the field and 3-of-6 3-point attempts. Her freshman teammate Erin Walsh finished with 20 points. She was 7-of-14 from the field and 4-of-8 from behind the arc. Christina Johnson totaled six points and led her team with eight rebounds.
Ironically, the Lady Flames were 6-of-7 from the free-throw line and the only miss came with eight seconds remaining. Lee shot a solid 49 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3-point range, good enough to win most games, but 20 turnovers helped turn the contest in Valdosta's favor.
Davis paced the Lady Blazers with 23 points. April Thomas nailed 5-of-9 shots from behind the arc and tallied 21 points. Valdosta shot 42 percent from the field, 38 percent from 3-point range and made 12-of-17 free throws. The visitors were guilty of 14 floor mistakes and the rebounding margin was dead even, 23 for each team.
The Lady Flames hit the road again on Thursday, traveling to Huntsville, Ala. to face a dangerous UAH team. The GSC doubleheader is scheduled for a 6:30 (EST) start.