The Lee University women's basketball team had its 13-game home win streak snapped with a 70-64 Gulf South Conference (GSC) loss to The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Saturday evening. The Lady Flames last loss in Paul Dana Walker Arena came nearly one year ago to Delta State (71-64) on Jan. 9.
UAH (6-6, 3-3 GSC) outscored the Lady Flames (6-3, 3-3 GSC) 30-18 over the final 14 minutes of the first half to push a three point lead  up to 17 (42-25) at the halftime break.
The Chargers made 8-of-17 (.471) 3-point field goal attempts in the opening 20 minutes, while Lee made 1-of-10 attempts.
"I'm disappointed in myself and the team for our effort this evening," said Lee head coach Marty Rowe. "People keep telling me we will get better down the road, but I expect us to get better this year."
The Lady Flames opened the second half with an 8-0 run and outscored UAH 31-14 to eventually even the game at 56-56 with just over five minutes remaining.
Christina Johnson played a large part in the comeback attempt. The junior posted 10 points and nine rebounds in the second half alone and finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds for her second career double-double. Eight of her boards came on the offensive end. Johnson also added four steals and a blocked shot.
"Give them (UAH) credit, they showed a lot of pride after being beaten at Shorter on Thursday," said Rowe. "They are a good shooting team and made their shots, even after we made our run. They were very comfortable with their game. We have been allowing only 56 points a game and we gave up 42 in the first half."
With the scored tied at 56-56, UAH scored the next seven points to regain control of the game. An Alex Swope three-pointer would pull Lee to within two with 1:35 to go, but the Chargers would close out the game on a 7-3 run to reach the final six-point margin.
Swope finished the game with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals. Erin Walsh added 10 markers and two steals. Carrie Cheeks recorded seven points to go with six rebounds.
Emileigh Swafford was Lee's top scorer. The freshman was 7-for-7 at the free throw line and finished with 17 points and four rebounds.
UAH had four players in double-figure scoring. Shannon Steinert made 3-of-6 3-point attempts and was 5-for-5 at the charity stripe to finish with 16 points.
Josi Saunders was 3-for-8 from distance to post 14 points and five rebounds. Juanice Newton and Loren Foster each hit two three-pointers and finished with 10 points.
Lee shot 31 percent (19-for-61) from the field and were 4-for-24 (.167) behind the arc. UAH made 19-of-47 (.404) shots from the floor and drilled 13-of-30 (.433) 3-point field goal attempts. The Lady Flames held a small advantage at the free throw line, making 22-of-25, while UAH made 21 trips and made 19.
In the battle of the boards, Lee was a decisive victor with a 41-28 advantage. The Lady Flames turned 18 offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points. The Chargers tallied one marker for each of their seven offensive boards.
The Lady Flames will take a break for the holidays before returning to the court on Jan. 3 against West Georgia. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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