Earlier in the day, seventh-seeded Emmanuel College pulled off its second straight upset of the tournament by defeating Faulkner University and joining Lee in the championship game on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. in Walker Arena.
The visiting Hawks held the lead for the majority of the first half, but the Flames managed to post a 33-29 lead at the break and never trailed in the second 20 minutes. The win was the 30th of the year for the once beaten Flames. Shorter slipped to 19-12 in its season ending game.
Lee shot a blistering 67 percent from the field and from behind the 3-point arc in the second half. The Flames finished the contest with a 54 percent mark from the field and 52 percent from 3-point range.
As usual balanced scoring was the key to the Lee win. Top scoring honors went to junior Freddie Williams. His Friday night performance included 18 points, five rebounds and three steals. Elmar Kuli-Zade followed close behind with 17 points and four assists in only 21 minutes of playing time.
The 21 minutes by Kuli-Zade drew concern from coach Tommy Brown. "We've got to keep Elmar out of foul trouble," said Brown. "We are a different team when he is not on the floor running our club."
Kellen Pickel nailed three 3-pointers and recorded a 15-point game. Pickel also sparkled on defense with five steals and he added two assists. Cole Rose gave his club a key boost with 12 points, six rebounds and a pair of steals. Harold Griffin continued his fine play with 11 points, six rebounds and two assists. Brad Harris added nine points, four assists and two steals.
Kedrick Wilson was the top scorer for the Hawks with 19 points. Tomas Pranciliauskas had 10 points in the first half, but finished the game with just 16 markers. Fred Christopher tallied 13 points and also led Berry's rebounding with eight boards. The Hawks out-rebounded Lee 35-21.
Lee's defense made a huge difference in the second half and ended up forcing 22 Shorter turnovers. The Flames had 14 floor mistakes compared to 21 assists. Lee also out-scored the Hawks 27-6 in points off the bench.