Late run lift No. 20 Lee past Faulkner
February 7
CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Elmar Kuli-Zade and Josh Noflett sparked a 14-3 run that broke open a tie game midway through the second half as 20th-ranked Lee raced past Faulkner 84-68 in a Southern States Athletic Conference game here Saturday.
After Faulkner's Reggie Dupree tied the game at 54 with a driving layup at the 8:03 mark, Kuli-Zade and Noflett each scored six points in the Flames' decisive run. The Eagles could get no closer than seven points the rest of the way, with Lee stretching the lead out in in the closing minutes by hitting its final 19 free throws of the game.
Prior to the late Lee run neither team lead by more than seven points, with the Flames taking a 38-33 advantage at halftime. The Eagles stayed close due to the sharp-shooting from Dupree and Josh Gholston, who each had 19 points to pace Faulkner (13-11, 5-8 SSAC). The two combined to make eight of Faulkner's nine three-point field goals.
"I thoiught we kind of unraveled there during that stretch,'' Faulkner head coach Jim Sanderson said. "We know we have some deficiencies, but for the most part I was pleased with how our guys responded to the challenge. We had our chances, but Lee took advantage of their opportunities and we didn't.''
Lee (19-4, 10-2 SSAC) had three players in double figures, paced by Kuli-Zade's 24 points. Paco Diaw added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Flames, who also got 18 from Noflett. In addition to its excellent night from the free-throw line, Lee was on target from the field, connecting on 56 percent of its shots. Faulkner, meanwhile, shot only 41 percent. The Flames also controlled the board, outrebounding the Eagles 36-27.
Faulkner is back in action next Saturday, when it travels to Central, S.C., to take on Southern Wesleyan.