PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Argos got a win when they needed it most.
UWF defeated Lee on Saturday afternoon, 64-60 to break the four-game losing streak the team had been on. The win also put head coach Stephanie Lawrence-Yelton into the history books for West Florida athletics. Yelton achieved her 240th win at UWF which is the most wins for a head coach in either men's or women's basketball history for the Argos.
It wasn't an easy win for the women playing the No. 3 team in the Gulf South Conference and overcoming a tough shooting night, but a fourth quarter surge put the Argos into position for the win.
A last second layup in the third quarter by
Annarose Tyre gave the Argos a 45-42 lead and the momentum heading into the fourth quarter. UWF then used a 7-0 run early in the fourth to take an eight-point lead. Tyre's three-pointer with 5:26 remaining gave UWF a nine-point lead which was the largest lead of the game for UWF.
Lee found their way back into the contest and tied the game at 56-56. In the final three minutes of the game the score was tied on three occasions and the lead changed hands twice.
Isabel Grimes layup with 43 seconds on the clock tied the game at 60-60. That bucket was set up by an
Amelia Bell block on the defensive end. Bell then took over the end of the game with another block which led to game-winning layup with 13 second to play. After a missed basket by Lee, Grimes drilled a pair of free throws with three seconds left to seal the game for the Argos.
Bell had yet another double-double, her ninth of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds. She led the team in both categories. Grimes added 14 points and
Finley Kennedy had 10 points.
Neither team had a good shooting night with the Argos going 20-of-57 (35.1%) from the field and just 2-of-19 (10.5%) from beyond the arc. The Lady Flames shot 33-percent from the field. The difference came down to the Argos outrebounding Lee, 51-39 including 11 offensive boards that led to nine points.
UWF (16-9, 9-7 GSC) will be on the road next week with games at Mississippi College (Thursday at 5:30 p.m.) and Delta State (Saturday at 2 p.m.). There are just six games remaining in the regular season.
