The Lee University basketball teams both won their openers Thursday in the NAIA Division I national tournaments, but the games were vastly different in drama.
The Lee men, seeded 12th out of 32 teams, turned a 12-point halftime lead into a 79-58 defeat of Olivet Nazarene in Kansas City, Mo., but the Lady Flames won 65-63 over Langston (Okla.) University in Jackson, Tenn.
All-American Katie Nelson had 27 points and 12 rebounds and Brooke McKinnon scored 18 points for the Lady Flames (29-5), one of four 3 seeds in the women’s tournament. Kayla Carlisle blocked four shots in the win.
Langston (25-8) got 15 points from Latesha Calton-Woods, 16 rebounds and 13 points from Stephanie Madden, 12 points from Shonderlette Paul and 10 points and 11 rebounds from Ashlea Gray, but the Lady Lions’ leading scorer and conference player of the year, Sanetra Jackson, played only 10 minutes and was scoreless on 0-of-2 shooting.
“I have no idea what happened with her,” Lee coach Marty Rowe said. “We didn’t have any indication she was hurt or anything like that. But Carlton-Woods took over and played very well, and Madden played well in the second half.”