Lady Flames lean on defense for win
Avery Warley had three blocks and the Lady Flames held Presbyterian to 24 percent shooting
With 6:56 left in the second half, Reagan Miller feeds a pass to an open Tolu Omotola off the inbound who lays it in.
Painting a picture — Hard work by players such as Jasmine Gardner (24) contributed to 30 Liberty paint-points. Photo credit: Ruth Bibby
Execution and decision-making was key in defeating Presbyterian.
The Lady Flames continued to roll through the conference, winning its fourth straight game against the Presbyterian Blue Hose 59-39.
With only nine players, the Lady Flames controlled the game from the onset.
“We continue to have injury problems,” head coach Carey Green said. “We have red-shirted a couple of girls as well. We are not totally healthy yet, but we have some good ball players that can easily come in and fill the roles needed.”
Both teams started off slowly combining for only one field goal in four minutes. However, the Lady Flames stayed aggressive, getting to the line 11 times in the first half.
It was a physical game throughout. The Blue Hose were held to a season low 24 percent from the field and racked up a total of 22 fouls. Three players, including the Blue Hose leading scorer Mariah Pietrowski, had four fouls and sat most of the second half.
The Lady Flames exploited the undersize Blue Hose and outscored them 30-10 in the paint and gathered 17-second chance points.
Turnovers plagued the Lady Flames mid-way through the second half. After committing only seven in the first half, they made 13 more turnovers in the second half, which helped setup a small spark for the Blue Hose. But key Presby players racking up on fouls made the comeback infeasible.
Avery Warley led the way with a game high, 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Warley now moves into third all-time in blocks with 134 in school history.
Although the shots were not falling for her, Devon Brown stayed aggressive and attacked the rim. Brown finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Miller chipped in with seven points and four assists and Danika Dale had eight points and eight rebounds.
With this win, Liberty remains undefeated against Presbyterian posting an 8-0 record and remains second in the Big South.
“PC is well coached and it takes time to establish a program and have a legacy,” Green said. “They haven’t been Division I very long. They do a very good job but they just need more pieces to fit the puzzle. They have young talent but it is going to take time for them to develop. It’s important to not sleep on their development and how well they are going to be in the future.”