Dec. 31, 2007

GREENVILLE, N.C. - Senior Ricky Harper's lay-up with just two-tenths of a second remaining will go down in history as one of the most thrilling shots in No. 8 Lee (Tenn.) University men's basketball history.

The Flames, playing on the road at NCAA Division I and Conference USA member East Carolina University, battled back from a three-point deficit in the final 40 seconds to claim the 77-75 win.  The triumph has to go on record as one of Lee's biggest athletic accomplishments.

The host Pirates (4-7) had earlier beaten North Carolina State University and George Mason University, a club that reached the NCAA Division I Final Four a couple of years ago.

With the Flames trailing 75-72 and less than 40 seconds remaining, coach Tommy Brown ordered a timeout. Seconds later, senior Brad Harris tied the thriller at 75 when he nailed a 3-point shot from deep in the left-hand corner. It was Harris' fifth trey of the game. He finished the amazing evening with a game-high 21 points and three key assists.

After Harris' basket, East Carolina coach Mack McCarthy quickly called a timeout and had apparently planned to go for the final and winning shot. With the game clock ticking down to under 10 seconds, Sam Hinnant put up a jumper from 12 feet. The attempt at the win hit the side of the rim and kicked right into the waiting hands of Lee's Elmar Kuli-Zade.

Coach Brown would be the first to say Kuli-Zade was the man he wanted to have control of the basketball at that point in any game. The heady junior guard quickly ripped a perfect pass to the sprinting Harper who scored the winning goal in full stride and sent a crowd of some 5,000 East Carolina supporters into shock.

Like most NCAA Division I cliffhangers, the officials went to the scorer's table and reviewed the final play. After indicating that Harper's basket was good, the officials put two-tenths of a second back on the scoreboard clock and gave the Pirates a desperation attempt to win the rugged battle. The final attempt never materialized as a long pass was batted away by the Lee defenders.

Coach Brown refused to say it was the biggest victory of his coaching career. However, he did point out that it was certainly one of the more thrilling wins he had been involved in and that his club gave a valiant effort for the entire 40 minutes. He also noted that when things began to turn in East Carolina's favor midway of the second half, his club refused to be intimated and played like true champions.

"However, I hope this is not the highlight of our entire season," said Brown, whose Flames will enter 2008 with a perfect 10-0 record and ranked 8th in the last NAIA poll. "I have mixed feelings about the victory," Brown admitted. "Coach McCarthy has been a mentor to me for several years and I really appreciate him giving us this opportunity to come over here and play."

The stars were many in this contest. Red-shirt freshman Desmond Blue re-entered the heated contest in the second half with the Flames down 62-54 and 7:44 remaining. The big 6-10 center tallied five straight points to put the Flames right back in the thick of the action and it was nip-and-tuck the rest of the way.

A key factor in the victory was Lee's ability to out-rebound the taller East Carolina players, especially in the second half. Lee won the battle of the boards 45-34 with Harold Griffin grabbing 10 key boards to go along with his nine points. The Flames only had a two-rebound margin in the first 20 minutes and the battle was tied at 42 at the break.

Junior Freddie Williams also was outstanding. He finished the evening with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Fast Freddie showed the Pirates quickness that they will see from very few Conference USA opponents the entire season.

Harper only scored four points in the entire game, but the lay-up he made is the one that will live in his mind forever. Joe Fulp added eight points and six rebounds before fouling out of the game. He also had two assists. Paco Diaw was also hampered by foul problems the entire game, but he still managed to pick up four points, grab five rebounds and block four of East Carolina's shots.

The host club countered with an 18-point, six-rebound effort by Jamar Abrams. Brandon Evans countered with 15 points and Hinnant was solid with a 14 point and five-rebound game.

The Flames shot a solid 43 percent from the field, making 26-of-61 attempts. They canned 8-of-22 3-pointers and marched to the line 21 times and converted a convincing 17 (81 percent). In fact, free-throw shooting and rebounding were key factors in Lee's win. The Pirates attempted 32 freebies and managed to convert just 21.

For the game, East Carolina shot 41 percent from the field (24-of-59). They attempted 12 3-pointers and canned six. In the turnover department, Lee had 22 floor mistakes and the Pirates took great care of the basketball by making just 12 turnovers.

The Flames will continue their road adventures when 2008 SSAC conference play tips off next Saturday at Brewton-Parker College. "The win today was huge, but we all know that basketball is all about tournament play and I want winning tournament games to also be a highlight of this team's season," stressed coach Brown.