UWA's Lee saves best for last
By By Will Bardwell / staff writer
Feb. 24, 2004
LIVINGSTON, Ala. Veronica Lee saved the best game of her life for the biggest game of West Alabama's season.
The sophomore guard scored 32 points, including 24 in the second half, on 8-of-15 shooting to lead the Lady Tigers over West Florida 83-76 Monday night.
West Alabama, now 19-6 overall and 11-2 in the Gulf South Conference, knocked the Lady Argonauts out of first place in the GSC East Division and clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament next month. The Lady Tigers can walk away with the division title with a win against Montevallo on Saturday.
After leading by as many as nine in the first half and six in the second half, West Alabama fell behind 73-64 with 4:48 to play after a pair of three-pointers from West Florida guard Michelle Gibson, who finished with 13 points. Gibson finished the game 5-of-6 from the floor and 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
But Gibson fouled out with 3:36 to play after the Lady Tigers crept within three points. From that point on, West Florida managed just one point, compared to West Alabama's 10 eight of which belonged to Lee.
The only consistent shooter on the floor after Gibson's departure and even before was Lee. It was Lee's three-point play with 2:11 left that regained a one-point lead for the Lady Tigers their first in nearly 10 minutes. Seconds later, West Alabama went up 79-76 on a jumper by Yolanda Thomas, who scored 12 points in the win.
West Florida was held scoreless over the final 2:51 of the game.
The Lady Tigers, who regrouped during a timeout while down by nine, erased the deficit in just over two and a half minutes.
Marks' team chose the latter. Though West Alabama split its season series with the Lady Argonauts, a series of tiebreakers leave the Lady Tigers assured of the No. 1 seed in the GSC Tournament, which begins March 4 in Tupelo.
A victory on Saturday over Montevallo, which the Lady Tigers bested 60-50 on Jan. 31, would wrap up the division championship for West Alabama.
West Florida, now 19-6 overall and 10-3 in conference play, was led by Erin Vierling's 25 points.
