Liberty basketball victories make great housewarming gifts for teams’ debuts in new arena

The hardwood of the newly unveiled Liberty Arena saw its first official action as Liberty University’s women’s and men’s basketball squads hosted their seasons’ home openers this week, welcoming a socially distanced crowd of Flames fans to their new domain.

The Lady Flames were the first team to play in the 125,000-square-foot, 4,000-seat venue on Tuesday in a convincing 76-53 victory over Norfolk State, almost exactly 30 years after the inaugural game in the Vines Center, Liberty basketball’s former homecourt, on Nov. 30, 1990. Liberty senior forward Bridgette Rettstatt also became the first player with 20+ points in the new arena, finishing the game with 22 points.

Liberty’s men’s basketball team also defended their new homecourt with a 78-62 win over St. Francis (Pa.) Thursday night, adding to their now 24-game home winning streak that began in the latter part of the 2018-19 season and is the fourth longest ongoing streak in the country. Also mirroring the Lady Flames two days earlier, redshirt junior Keegan McDowell’s 21 points made him the first Liberty men’s player to score 20+ points in the Liberty Arena.

During their 30 years in the Vines Center, the men’s basketball team earned 307 wins and capped off their time with an ASUN Championship victory in March, their last appearance in the venue.

The Liberty Arena is now the home of Liberty’s men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball programs, outfitted with loge and club seating options, court projection technology, and a Teraflex volleyball playing surface. The court was named the Dr. Orville and Florence Hiepler Court, in memory of two individuals who were move by the spiritual outreach and ministry focus of the men’s basketball program. The couple’s grandson, Ryan Hiepler, was part of the team from 2015-18.

With the fan seating capacity limited due to continued social distancing regulations, Liberty fans have been given the opportunity to purchase personalized cutouts of themselves, family members, or even the family pet to be placed in the stands.

The Lady Flames will play their next game on the road on Sunday, Dec. 6, for their first-ever meeting with Memphis, at 5 p.m. Meanwhile, the Flames will stay home for the weekend with a noon matchup with Bluefield College on Saturday, Dec. 5. Both games will be televised on ESPN+, and radio coverage will be available on LFSN Radio (90.9 FM The Light for the Lady Flames and 107.5/105.9 FM The Journey for the Flames).