Liberty Women’s Basketball Falls To Duke But Finds Redemption Against California Baptist
The Lady Flames Basketball team is now 2-1 following a split weekend at the Liberty Arena with an 83-67 loss to Duke University and a 72-44 win against California Baptist University.
The Flames were defeated by the No. 11 Duke Blue Devils in their home opener Nov. 7 as a record attendance of 2,845 people filled Liberty Arena’s seats.
The Blue Devils were hot hitting the court, winning the tipoff and securing an early bucket to set the tone for the game. Despite pushback from the Flames’ defense, the Blue Devils controlled play in the first quarter.
Senior guard Emma Hess fired back with two shots, putting the Flames on the board for the first time of the night. The first quarter ended 29-15.
Sophomore guard Asia Boone got to work in the second quarter for the Flames. After making two baskets in the paint, she sank a 3-pointer to bring the score to 29-24 and leave the Flames trailing by 5.
Boone owned the second quarter, scoring 11 points to the Blue Devils’ combined 10.
“Our model this year is one body, so it’s not just me,” Boone said. “Even though I did lead us in scoring, I wouldn’t be able to score without my teammates.”
With points also scored from sophomore forward Elisabeth Aegisdottir and senior guard Jordan Hodges, the Flames entered halftime 39-37, making the Blue Devils sweat.
“The second quarter for us was a struggle, and I thought they did a good job of flipping the game back in their favor in that second quarter,” Duke Head Coach Kara Lawson said. “They changed the rhythm of the game on us, and credit to them.”
It looked to be anyone’s game in the third quarter as the Flames’ momentum picked up to keep pace with the Blue Devils. A 3-pointer by Boone propelled the Flames to a 3-point deficit with 7:21 left in the quarter.
The Blue Devils felt the heat and picked up the pace, bringing their advantage to double digits to end the quarter 64-50.
The Flames were snuffed out in the fourth quarter, with turnovers preventing them from finding a lead. The Blue Devils walked off the court in an 83-67 final, dropping the Flames’ season record to 1-1.
“Well, we’re never satisfied with a loss, but there’s some things that we could learn from this game,” Head Coach Carey Green said. “We’ve got a good team; we’ve just got to be more consistent.”
The Flames had only one day to regroup before their game against the 0-1 California Baptist Lancers Saturday, Nov. 9.
The Lady Flames were determined to shut the weekend down with a win as redshirt senior center Bella Smuda led the first quarter with a jump shot followed by another 2 points netted from in the paint.
The Lancers found some buckets of their own, but the Flames held them back, as Boone was once again showing out on the court. For the second game in a row, Boone scored more points in a quarter than her opponents, netting 10 points compared to the Lancers’ 8 combined.
Boone led off the second quarter with another 3-pointer. Smuda protected the rim as she earned her first double-double of the season with 12 rebounds and 10 points scored over the course of the game. The Flames were up 40-13 going into halftime.
The Lancers came out after the half with newfound momentum, immediately taking command and being first to sink one in to start the quarter. The Flames quickly responded with a couple of 3-pointers, as Aegisdottir netted her first of the season and Hess her first of the night. Redshirt sophomore guard Pien Steenbergen scored to end the quarter 56-29.
Despite the 30-point deficit after a 3-pointer by Hodges, the Lancers did not lose momentum, still managing to sink the ball into the net before the clock ran out. Their efforts fell short as the game concluded in a 72-44 Flames win.
The now 2-1 Lady Flames will hit the road headed to Knoxville, where they will face the University of Tennessee Volunteers Saturday, Nov. 16 at 12 p.m. Fans can catch the game on ESPN+.
White is the asst. sports editor for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X.
