Liberty Pulls Out Back-and-Forth Nail-Biter with Jacksonville, 49-48

Head Coach Carey Green Press Conference

Mya Berkman Press Conference

Priscilla Smeenge Press Conference

Top Plays

After leading Jacksonville by 19 points during the second quarter, Liberty needed a driving layup by Priscilla Smeenge with 16.8 seconds left and a key defensive stop on the ensuing possession to pull out a 49-48 victory, Wednesday evening at Liberty Arena.

Liberty moves to 16-2 overall and 4-1 in ASUN play despite being outscored 21-4 in the third quarter and trailing by five midway through the fourth. The Lady Flames, who successfully bounced back from a Saturday loss at FGCU, have now won seven straight home games, seven consecutive meetings with Jacksonville and 16 straight home matchups with ASUN opponents.

Jacksonville, which falls to 9-6 overall and 2-2 in ASUN action, saw two potential game-winning shots go astray during the waning seconds. Taylor Hawks, who scored 13 of her game-high 17 points during the second-half comeback, missed an off-balance shot. Asiah Jones came up with the rebound while seated on the floor. She then attempted one final unsuccessful shot from that same seated position which the Lady Flames’ Bridgette Rettstatt tracked down as time expired.

Box Score Highlights

Liberty Individuals: Mya Berkman – 12 points, 11 rebounds; Rettstatt – 9 points, 4 rebounds; Smeenge – 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals; Dee Brown – 5 points, 9 rebounds.

Jacksonville Individuals: Hawks – 17 points, 2-2 3FG, 5 steals; Carmella Walker – 7 points; DeShari Graham – 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals.

Key Team Stats: Both teams struggled offensively, as Liberty shot a season-low 35.4 percent (17-of-48) from the field and JU checked in at 27.8 percent (15-of-54). The Lady Flames won the rebounding battle, 43-34, and blocked a season-high eight shots. The Dolphins scored 23 points off Liberty’s 20 turnovers, including 19 points off the Lady Flames’ 14 second-half miscues.

Turning Point

The lead changed hands three times during the game’s final minute.

Berkman converted a nice feed from Rettstatt into an open layup with 40.9 seconds left, putting Liberty on top, 47-46.

On Jacksonville’s next trip, Graham missed a driving layup, but Jones was there to collect the miss and put it back for a 48-47 Dolphins edge at the 21.8-second mark.

That set the stage for Smeenge’s game-winning, driving layup from the right block five seconds later.

Game Summary

First Quarter

• For the second Wednesday in a row, Liberty got off to a slow start at home against a conference opponent from Jacksonville. The Lady Flames missed their first six field goal attempts before bouncing back to shoot 7-of-11 during the remainder of the opening period.
• Liberty led 16-14 after 10 minutes of play, aided by five points apiece from Alyssa Iverson and Rettstatt.

Second Quarter

• The Lady Flames opened the second quarter with a 17-0 run, holding Jacksonville scoreless for 8:42 to begin the period.
• Liberty led by as many as 19 points (33-14) before the Dolphins tallied the half’s final three points to head to the locker room trailing 33-17. Jacksonville missed 12 of its 13 field goal attempts during the stanza.

Third Quarter

• Jacksonville dominated the third quarter, outscoring Liberty 21-4 to take a 38-37 lead.
• The Lady Flames shot 0-of-6 from the field during the period while committing eight turnovers. Meanwhile, the Dolphins connected on 10-of-12 free throws for the stanza.

Fourth Quarter

• Hawks scored Jacksonville’s first eight points of the final period, including a triple at the 5:58 mark which enabled the visitors to match their largest advantage of the game (46-41).
• Jones’ putback in the final minute accounted for Jacksonville’s only points the rest of the night. Conversely, Liberty made its final four field goal attempts, including two apiece by Smeenge and Berkman. Liberty shot 75 percent (6-of-8) from the field during the fourth quarter.

Notes and Nuggets

• Berkman recorded her fourth double-double of the season and the fifth of her career.
• Smeenge scored six of her nine points during the final 7:33. She also led the team in blocks (career-high 3) and steals (career-high 3) on the night.
• Rettstatt finished with nine points, marking just the second time in eight career meetings with Jacksonville that she has been held in single digits.
• Liberty improved to 4-2 this season in games decided by five points or fewer.
• The Lady Flames held their opponent below 50 points for the 10^th time in 18 games this season.
• This was the first time Liberty won when scoring fewer than 50 points since a 46-33 victory at Campbell on Feb. 10, 2018.
• A defensive struggle was not totally unexpected, as Liberty entered the game ranked No. 5 nationally for scoring defense (50.5 ppg) and Jacksonville came in at No. 40 (56.3 ppg).
• Liberty improved to 25-5 at home against ASUN foes since joining the conference.
• The Lady Flames are 10-1 at home this season and 22-1 all-time at Liberty Arena.

Up Next

Liberty will tip off crossover play against the ASUN West Division squads with a Saturday visit to conference newcomer Central Arkansas (6-9, 1-3 ASUN). The game is slated for a 2 p.m. Eastern start at the Farris Center in Conway, Ark.

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