The Lee University women’s basketball team earned its first NCAA tournament win Friday with a 66-64 defeat of North Alabama in the home of yet another Gulf South Conference rival, Union University. Lee (24-7) was seeded sixth in the region in Jackson, Tenn., and UNA (25-4) was seeded third, and seventh-seeded Valdosta State from the GSC upset second-seeded Florida Southern 63-60 and plays Lee at 6 EST tonight. Erin Walsh had 15 points and seven rebounds, Shelby Brown 13 points, Abby Bertram 11 points and three steals and Carrie Cheeks 10 points and seven rebounds for Lee. Brittany Panetti led the Lions with 21 points and eight rebounds but had a shot blocked by Bertram in the closing seconds, and Emily Wallen got the deflection and was fouled but missed the potentially tying free throws.
Golf
-Rob Neal and Joey Westmoreland of Dalton lead the 2018 Georgia Four-Ball tournament at Jekyll Island after the first round Friday. They shot a 4-under-par 68, and Chatsworth’s Bryan Deems and Dalton’s Clay Hill are tied for fourth in the championship flight at 71. Rocky Face residents Greg Brock and Matt Oxford and their partners, Tony Patterson of Dalton and Philip Hughes of Kennesaw, respectively, are tied for sixth at 73.2.
Baseball
-A two-run bottom of the ninth inning gave Mississippi College a 5-4 GSC baseball win Saturday over visiting Lee, but the Flames rebounded for a 10-7 win. In the first game the winning run scored on a throwing error. Peyton Meeker had a two-run single and Tyler Payne had two hits and an RBI for Lee (10-12, 4-4), while Miguel Pimentel was 2-for-4 and scored a run. In game two leadoff man Payne was 4-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored, and No. 2 batter Jordan Howard was 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Pimentel was 2-for-4 with an RBI, Meeker was 2-for-3 and scored twice, Chase Andrews was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run and Spencer Mossburg scored three times.