Liberty University Flames

• The Lady Flames are facing the nation's top-ranked team for the first time since their most recent meeting with the Gamecocks. No. 1 South Carolina topped Liberty, 84-44, Dec. 21, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minn.

• Liberty is 0-2 all-time versus South Carolina and 0-2 when facing an opponent ranked No. 1. The Lady Flames will look to snap an 18-game losing streak against SEC foes and a 36-game losing skid when matched up with Top 25 opponents.

• Liberty's leading scorer (14.6 ppg) and rebounder (8.0 rpg), Mya Berkman became the 20th 1,000-point scorer in program history during a Nov. 27 meeting with Minnesota. Her next rebound will make her the 11th Lady Flame to collect 700 or more boards all-time.

• Sophomore Emma Hess has stepped up as the Lady Flames' second-leading scorer (9.1 ppg) during her first year in the starting lineup. She has knocked down a team-high 18 three-pointers through seven games.

Notes and Anecdotes – Liberty vs. South Carolina

• The third meeting between Liberty and South Carolina will mark the Lady Flames' first visit to Colonial Life Arena. Liberty's previous contest in Columbia (2002 NCAA Tournament first round tilt) was played at Carolina Coliseum, the season before Colonial Life Arena opened.

• Liberty, which has not played at home since Nov. 17, is closing out a string of five straight games away from Lynchburg. This is the Lady Flames' longest string of road/neutral contests since they played the final five games of the 2020-21 campaign away from home.

• Liberty (79-48 on Nov. 17) and South Carolina (85-38 on Nov. 27) have both recorded home wins over Hampton this season.

• This is Liberty's first matchup with the defending national champion since Nov. 23, 2012, when the Lady Flames lost 92-60 at Baylor.

• South Carolina has appeared in one more NCAA Tournament than Liberty (18-17) all-time and one more Postseason WNIT than the Lady Flames (4-3).

• South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley played against Liberty during her standout career at Virginia. She had 19 points and five steals during a 102-61 Cavaliers win in Charlottesville, Va., on Jan. 8, 1989.

Liberty vs. SEC

• Liberty is 1-19 all-time against SEC opponents, having lost its last 18 meetings with conference foes.

• This will be Liberty's first SEC matchup since Vanderbilt ended the Lady Flames' 2021-22 season with a 71-45 victory in the second round of the WNIT, March 21 in Nashville.

• Half of Liberty's SEC contests have come in the NCAA Tournament, including a 2002 loss at South Carolina. The Lady Flames are 0-10 vs. the SEC in the NCAA Tournament.

• Liberty's lone SEC triumph was an 80-76 victory at Kentucky on Dec. 12, 1998. That was one year before Carey Green took over as head coach. Green is 0-17 against the SEC.

Liberty vs. the Top 25

• The Lady Flames have lost 36 straight meetings with Top 25 opponents since their 88-79 victory over No. 16/16 DePaul on March 22, 2005. That win, which sent the Lady Flames into the Sweet 16, was their fourth all-time Top 25 triumph.

• This will mark Liberty's third time facing the nation's No. 1 team in program history and the first since the Lady Flames' last matchup with South Carolina. That contest saw the Gamecocks record an 84-44 triumph on Dec. 21, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minn. Liberty's other meeting with a No. 1 squad was a 102-58 loss at Tennessee in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament (March 14, 1998).

Featured in Main Photo: #1 Kennedi Williams

Schedule

WBB Game Day: No. 1 South Carolina