With the victory, the Hornets (26-5) punch their ticket to the NAIA National Championships held March 17-23 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Lee, which was gunning for a third straight tournament title and its fourth in five years, will certainly be an at-large selection into the national tournament and closes out this portion of the season with a 26-7 record.

Southern Poly, ranked No. 19 in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll, captured its second SSAC Tournament crown. The Hornets last won the tourney in 2005, when they outlasted Faulkner University, 87-74.

This title came much tougher.

The No. 12-ranked Flames, which had won its first two games of the tournament by an average of 16 points, sprinted out to an 11-3 lead five minutes into the game. Their lead ballooned to as much as 11, 21-10, on a Jerel Blocker three-pointer with 10:06 remaining in the first half.

Lee still led by 10 with 6:34 to go in the opening 20 minutes, but a trey from Jas Rogers and bucket from Jennings jump started a 12-3 run to close the frame. Poly trailed 28-27 at half.

The story of the second half took place on the offensive glass.

Perhaps seasoned by a pair of last minute victories in the first two rounds of the tournament, Southern Poly was the aggressor in the second half, grabbing 11 offensive rebounds in the period - six of those from Tournament MVP Jennings.

The Hornets took control of the tempo by spreading the floor offensively and attacking the rim. A pair of Xavier Dawson free throws gave the Hornets their first lead of the half, 33-32, at the 16:11 mark and after Blocker made a pair from the stripe to reclaim the lead for Lee, Dawson drained a three to hand Southern Poly a 36-34 lead that it would never relinquish.

The lead reached nine on two occasions in the final half as Lee struggled to find the accuracy from distance. The Flames were 0-for-10 in the second half from beyond the arc - 3-for-22 for the game - and fell victim to a torrid effort from the Hornets at the free throw line. Southern Poly made 23 of its 26 free throw attempts.

Jennings finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for Southern Poly. He was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammates Rogers (19 points) and Jordan Lemons, who was solid with nine points, six rebounds and three assists following his 18-point, nine rebound effort in the semifinal victory over Auburn-Montgomery the previous night.

Blocker, an All-Tournament selection, led Lee with 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting. He pulled the Flames to within one possession, 52-49, with consecutive field goals at the 5:11 mark of the second half.

Josh Nofflet added 14 points and five rebounds and Tyler Cutter contributed 12 points and four assists for the Flames.

Also named to the All-Tournament Team was Chris Palmore from Faulkner University and Nathan Thomas from Auburn-Montgomery.