Liberty basketball slow out of the gate

The Liberty men’s and women’s basketball teams opened their season Friday, Nov. 9.
Both teams came up short, with the Flames losing to the Richmond University Spiders 84-42, and the Lady Flames were down 63-46 by Duquesne University.

Poor shooting and turnovers were the story when the Flames were upended by the Spiders.

Liberty converted 13 field goals in the entire game. In the first half, Richmond held the Flames to 33 percent (9-27) shooting from the field.

The Spiders forced eight turnovers during the half, which led to 15 points. Richmond also shot 53 percent and knocked down five baskets from beyond the arc.

In the second half, the Flames only made 17 percent (4-23) of their shots and committed nine more turnovers.

Overall, the Flames shot 26 percent. Richmond continued its hot shooting and stayed aggressive, getting to the free-throw line a total of 25 times. It also hit five three-pointers to seal the victory.

Women’s season begins

The Lady Flames travelled to Pittsburg, Pa. to face the Duquesne Dukes as a part of the Preseason Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT).

The Lady Flames made seven field goals, which included their only three-point bucket in the first half. They also committed 17 turnovers during the half. The Dukes poor shooting allowed Liberty to stay within 10 (32-22) at halftime.

Turnovers continued to thwart the Lady Flames chances at a comeback. The Dukes were able to collect 18 takeaways in the second half. The Lady Flames host Grambling State Friday, Nov. 16 in the WNIT Consolation round.