The Bears entered Monday's contest against Lee College with their work cut out for them. Not only did they have to make the over-five hour drive to Baytown, TX, but they faced the 16th-ranked Navigators. And despite putting up a valiant effort, Southwest couldn't get past Lee College, falling 84-76.
 
"I was disappointed that we couldn't get over the hump," Southwest head coach Corey Schmidt said. "They are a really good basketball team, they are well-coached and they have at least four Division I players. They are physical and I thought that we did a lot of really good things against them.  
 
Early on, the Bears (4-4) relied heavily on the inside presence of Tylik Weeks. The freshman from Queens, NY  had 9 of his 18 points in the first half. His scoring was complemented by the play of Mark Drone and Deon Brown who each nailed a 3-pointer helping to pace the Bears.
 
However, with the success that the Bears found on their end of the floor, the Navigators were able to stay one step ahead, taking a 31-27 lead into the locker room at the half.
 
In the second half, the Bears stepped up their offense to supplement Weeks' stellar play. Southwest connected on 22-of-26 free throws to finish 25-of-33 on the night and got additional strong play from Drone, Brown and LeVionne Lindsey, but it wasn't enough as Lee maintained its lead before pulling out the win.
 
Like Weeks, Drone also finished with 18 points while Brown poured in 16.
 
Southwest returns home for their next contest as the Bears welcome in the Jones Bobcats in non-conference play, Thursday at 6 p.m.