CLEVELAND, Tenn. – A fourth quarter comeback fell just short as the Lady Hawks dropped their first Gulf South Conference game of the season, 79-70, to the Lee Lady Flames.

Shorter shot 50% in the opening period, but Lee ended the quarter shooting 67%. The Lady Flames jumped out to a 5-2 lead, but SU took an 8-7 lead when Taylor Adams scored two of her seven first quarter points.

At the first media timeout, Lee (5-1, 1-0 GSC) led 14-10 and extended its lead to nine via a 5-0 run after the timeout. Shorter (1-5, 0-1 GSC) scored the final six points of the period, with Adams contributing four, while Kayla Tillie added a pair of free throws.

The Lady Hawks trailed at the end of one, 19-16.

In the second, Shorter continued its run, scoring the first five points of the quarter to take a 21-19 lead. The Lady Flames battled to regain a one-point lead, but Adams' converted an old-fashioned three-point play to give the visitors a 28-27 lead.

Once again, the lead swapped hands, as it did 15 times in the first two quarters, but Brittany Greene's floater with 60 seconds remaining in the half tied the game at 33. Lee took a 35-33 lead on a layup, but Raven Fair tied the contest with 15 seconds
remaining before Lee converted a 1 of 2 free throws to lead by one at the intermission.

Adams scored 20 points in the first half, shooting 8 of 12 from the field. Shorter shot slightly better than the Lady Flames, converting 50% of its attempts, while Lee managed to make 45.2% of its attempts.

The third period saw each team go on a run, with Shorter taking a five-point lead early. The run was capped off by a Denise Newton three-pointer, which gave the Lady Hawks a 47-42 lead with 4:02 to play in the quarter.

The Lady Flames used a 15-1 run to lead by 9, 58-47, heading into the final quarter. A single free throw by Adams accounted for the only Shorter points during Lee's run, which continued into the fourth quarter.

Lee began the final quarter on an 8-1 run which included two three-pointers. Down 65-49, the Lady Hawks countered with six straight points of their own to pull with 10, 65-55.

Although Lee led by 12, Tillie and Adams sparked another Shorter run, this one cutting the lead to five and forcing a Lee timeout with just over four minutes remaining.

Following the timeout, Greene's layup made it a one-possession game but the Lady Flames pushed the lead to seven.

The Lady Hawks got as close as four, but dropped their first conference game of the year, 79-70.

Adams led all scorers with 31 points. She also collected a team-high eight rebounds. Tillie added 14, while Fair contributed 11. Lindsey Roddy scored 21 points for Lee.

Shorter shot 45.6% from the floor, while the Lady Flames shot 53.8%. Lee held a 37-24 advantage on the boards.

The Lady Hawks will take a 12-day break before returning to action at home against conference foe Delta State. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 15.