Liberty Women’s basketball Fall To Second In The Atlantic Sun After 14-Game Win Streak

Basketball is a game of streaks and runs, and that theme was exemplified in the contest between Liberty and North Florida Jan 12. 

After an intense back and forth contest, the Lady Flames defeated the Lady Ospreys 61-50, pushing their win streak to 12 games and their record to 15-1. 

The Lady Ospreys started hot in the first quarter, going up 10-0 on Liberty. North Florida ran a defense of double teams and heavy paint presence all game, limiting Liberty redshirt junior center Mya Berkman to only four points. That same defense stunned the Lady Flames, and they struggled to get back in the game until redshirt junior guard Dee Brown and redshirt senior guard Nenna Lindstrom led a comeback charge, getting the Flames within a bucket with just under five minutes left in the quarter. The rest of the quarter was back and forth as neither team could gain momentum.  

The Lady Flames opened the second quarter with four straight points and appeared to be set for a run, but they were derailed by an array of missed shots and foul calls. Both teams, which have excelled defensively, clamped down to limit scoring opportunities. The half ended with a last-second layup from Liberty redshirt sophomore guard Kennedi Williams, cutting the North Florida lead. The half ended with a score of 28-25 in favor of the Lady Ospreys.  

The third quarter was all Liberty. The Lady Flames outscored the Lady Ospreys 17-4 in the quarter and held them to 1-12 from the field. Liberty’s defense pressured North Florida’s shooters, creating opportunities for easy rebounds. The Lady Flames are fifth in the nation in rebound margin with an average of 13.2.  

North Florida had one last run in the fourth to make it a four-point game until Williams scored and converted a layup with a foul, sucking the life out of the Lady Ospreys.  

Currently, the Lady Flames sit at 15-2 overall. Liberty is also fifth in rebound margin, third in opponent field goal percentage and fifth in scoring defense. 

Still, the Lady Flames lie unranked in all major polls. Liberty is ranked 61st in the NCAA net rankings. 

“You know, we’re going to control our own destiny, and we’re just going to continue to work on it,” Head Coach Carey Green said when asked about not being in the AP Poll.  

“All we can do is just play the game and not let things like that mess with our head because we’ll earn our position, wherever it’s at.”

Palsgrove is a sports reporter. Follow him on Twitter