LU Ready for Final Regular-Season Home Tilt
3/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Complete Game Notes (PDF format)
Live Video Streaming (Big South EDGE)
Live WWMC Radio Broadcast
Live Stats
The Game
The Liberty Lady Flames (19-7, 13-0 Big South) will complete their 2008-09 home schedule Monday, when Presbyterian (4-22, 1-12 Big South) invades the Vines Center. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
What to Watch
The Liberty seniors will play their final home game Monday. The Lady Flames are 91-29 over the past four seasons, including 47-5 at the Vines Center.
The Lady Flames will be going for their eighth 20-win season in the last nine years. A victory would give Liberty's men's and women's basketball teams 20 wins apiece for just the second time in school history.
The Lady Flames have won nine straight home games, 16 straight games overall and 17 straight games versus conference foes.
Megan Frazee will look to score in double digits for the 63rd straight contest and break Elena Kisseleva's school record.
Lady Flames On The Air
All Lady Flames basketball games may be heard LIVE on WWMC 90.9 FM "The Light." Jamie Hall, celebrating his 15th year of broadcasting Lady Flames basketball, will once again be handling the courtside play-by-play duties for most road games. Josh Wood will serve as the commentator for home contests and will provide color analysis on the road.
Lady Flames On TV
For the sixth season in a row, the Flames Television Network (FTN) plans to broadcast all 12 home women's basketball games. FTN's regular announcing team will consist of Ray Jones on play-by-play and Jamie Hall on color.
Scouting Presbyterian
Presbyterian is battling several apparent disadvantages, as the Blue Hose sport only eight players on their active roster, including just two juniors and no seniors. Additionally, sophomore forward Chelsea Wright, the tallest player on Ronny Fisher's team, stands 5-11.
The Blue Hose picked up their first-ever Big South victory on Feb. 21, defeating Gardner-Webb by a 62-53 score in Clinton, S.C. All four of Presbyterian's triumphs in 2008-09 have come at Templeton Arena. The Blue Hose are 0-13 in road contests this season and have dropped 26 consecutive road decisions since a 63-62 win at South Carolina State on Dec. 4, 2007.
A pair of sophomore guards have led the way for the Blue Hose this season. Katlin Moore paces the team with 11.8 ppg. The conference leader in minutes played, at 36.4 mpg, Moore is sixth in the Big South with 3.9 apg and sits seventh in scoring.
Classmate Amanda Mills chips in with 11.5 ppg. She ranks third in the Big South with 63 three-pointers and is making her free throws at a 86.4 percent clip.
Wright is Presbyterian's leading rebounder, hauling in 5.8 rpg, the 13th-highest figure in the conference.
The Coaching Matchup
Liberty Head Coach Carey Green is in his 10th season with the Lady Flames, and has led his team to eight Big South titles. A four-time Big South Coach of the Year, Green owns a 232-75 career record and is the all-time wins leader at Liberty and among Big South women's basketball coaches. His career winning percentage (.756) ranked 10th among active NCAA Division I women's basketball coaches at the season's outset. Green is 2-0 all-time against Presbyterian.
Ronny Fisher is 4-22 in his first season as Presbyterian's head coach. The Furman alumnus had previously spent 10 years as an assistant coach for the Blue Hose men's basketball team. He is 0-1 coaching against Liberty.
Liberty-Presbyterian Series Notes
Liberty is 2-0 all-time versus Presbyterian, winning the teams' lone matchup at the Vines Center.
The Blue Hose put up a strong fight in their first meeting with the Lady Flames this season, Jan. 17 at Templeton Arena. Presbyterian trailed by a single point, 20-19, at halftime, before Liberty gained some breathing room with a 15-2 run to open the second stanza. The Lady Flames went on to post a 59-49 triumph. Sisters Megan and Moriah Frazee both reached double digits for the victors, totaling 14 and 11 points, respectively. Amanda Mills and Katlin Moore provided more than 75 percent of Presbyterian's offensive production. Mills hit four triples in a 21-point effort, while Moore added 16 points.
Last year, Liberty defeated Presbyterian, 88-41, Jan. 26, 2008 at the Vines Center. The Lady Flames held the Blue Hose without a field goal for the first 12 minutes of the game, running out to a 29-2 lead. All three Frazee triplets scored in double digits for Liberty, led by Moriah's 15 points. The game's high scorer was Presbyterian's Amy Jones, with 16 markers.
Masterful in March
Liberty has gone 31-10 during the month of March under Carey Green, with eight of the setbacks coming in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Flames are 7-1 in the regular season, 22-1 in the Big South Championship and 2-8 in the "Big Dance" during the year's third month, under his direction. Last season, Liberty went 4-1 in March.
At home, the Lady Flames have won 15 consecutive March tilts, since a 68-58 loss to American on March 7, 1992.
The Lady Flames are 39-35 all-time in March contests and did not pick up their first victory in the month until the program's 13th season. Liberty's initial March triumph was an 82-69 win over Randolph-Macon on March 3, 1988.
Special Seniors
Saturday was Senior Night, but Liberty's seniors will play at the Vines Center for the final time on Monday. The senior class has posted a 91-29 record over the past four seasons, including a 47-5 mark at its home venue.
Looking for the Extra Point
Liberty has won its first 13 Big South games of the season, leaving the Lady Flames just one victory shy of tying the Big South record for most conference wins in a single year. A team has won 14 Big South contests on four previous occasions, including Liberty in back-to-back years (2002-03 and 2003-04) and UNC Greensboro twice (1992-93 and 1994-95).
We Are the (Regular-Season) Champions!
Liberty's 81-59 win at Charleston Southern on Feb. 23 not only kept the Lady Flames unbeaten in conference play, but it clinched the outright Big South regular-season title. Liberty has now captured 11 conference regular-season crowns in the last 12 years.
Accurate Avery
Avery Warley made 11 consecutive field goal attempts, between Feb. 9 and Feb. 21. The Big South field goal percentage leader at 61.7 percent, Warley has connected on 21 of her last 24 field goals (87.5 percent).
A Star On the Court and In the Classroom
Megan Frazee, a kinesiology major with a 3.91 cumulative GPA, was recognized on Feb. 23 as a first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American. A second team Academic All-American last season, Frazee is the first Lady Flame ever to earn first-team status. She is Liberty's sixth first-team honoree at the Division I level, in all sports. Frazee is also the fourth individual in school history to earn multiple Academic All-America honors.
Coach Green Versus the Big South
Liberty head coach Carey Green has enjoyed considerable success versus the Big South during his first nine seasons with the Lady Flames. His teams are 149-13 against Big South opponents, including 125-12 in the regular season and 24-1 in the Big South Championship.
Green has never lost to his alma mater, Coastal Carolina (23-0), or Charleston Southern (22-0) during his time at Liberty.
Turning Up the Heat in the Furnace
The 2008-09 campaign is the 17th season the Liberty University women's basketball team has called the Vines Center its full-time home. Liberty's first-ever contest at the Vines Center was an 86-74 loss to East Tennessee State, on Dec. 7, 1990, but the "Furnace" has served as a favorable venue for the Lady Flames over the years. Liberty is 187-51 (.786) all-time at the Vines Center, including 13-0 last season. The Lady Flames, 9-2 at the Vines Center in 2008-09, only have one home game left this year.
Dial Three Digits for Long Distance
The Lady Flames have been able to continue a long-standing streak, so far this season. The Lady Flames have made at least one three-pointer in a school-record 129 straight games, a run which began on Feb. 26, 2005. None of the current Lady Flames were in college when the streak started.
Winning Streaks
The Lady Flames are currently on an 16-game winning streak, as they have not lost a game since falling at No. 19/20 Vanderbilt on Dec. 22.
The streak is the fourth longest in program history. Here is a look at the Lady Flames' longest winning streaks, eight of which have come with Carey Green as head coach.
1) 28 games (Nov. 21, 1997 - Feb. 28, 1998)
2) 22 games (Dec. 21, 2002 - March 9, 2003)
3) 19 games (Jan. 6, 2004 - March 13, 2004)
4) 16 games (Dec. 29, 2008 - Present)
5) 14 games (Jan. 28, 2006 - March 11, 2006)
6T) 13 games (Jan. 5, 2008 - Feb. 23, 2008)
6T) 13 games (Jan. 24, 2002 - March 2, 2002)
8T) 12 games (Jan. 15, 2005 - Feb. 21, 2005)
8T) 12 games (Jan. 23, 1999 - Feb. 27, 1999)
10) 11 games (Feb. 3, 2000 - March 4, 2000)
20-20 Vision
The Lady Flames can make Big South Conference history with one more victory, by joining the Liberty men's basketball team in the 20-win club this season. Coach Ritchie McKay's squad takes a 21-10 ledger into this week's Big South Men's Basketball Championship.
The Lady Flames' next win would give the university a pair of 20-win basketball teams for the second time in program history. In 1996-97, the Lady Flames went 22-7, while their male counterparts racked up a 23-9 mark.
The feat has only been accomplished four times in Big South annals: by Radford in 1991-92, UNC Greensboro in 1994-95, Liberty in 1996-97 and Winthrop last season. Liberty would become the first conference school to make two appearances in the 20/20 club.
Nation's Longest Winning Streaks
Liberty has won 16 games in a row, which is tied for the fifth-longest current winning streak among NCAA Division I women's basketball games, through the weekend.
Liberty in the National Rankings
During Liberty's winning streak, the Lady Flames have been surging upward in the NCAA national statistical rankings. Liberty now ranks in the top 15 nationally in four statistical categories. The Lady Flames are listed No. 2 in rebounding margin (+12.4), No. 7 in scoring defense (53.0 ppg), No. 8 in field goal percentage defense (.343) and No. 12 in field goal percentage (.455)
Liberty and No. 1 Connecticut are the only two teams in the nation which rank in the top 15 of all four of those categories.
On a Record Pace
Liberty is yielding just 52.5 ppg and has held 13 opponents below the 50-point mark. The Lady Flames' stifling defense is among the best in program history. Liberty's all-time record for scoring defense in a season is 54.7 ppg, set in 2001-02.
Miss Consistency
Megan Frazee has scored in double figures in each of her last 62 games, dating back to Jan. 27, 2007. It is the longest such streak of her career and is tied for the program record.
Elena Kisseleva shares the Liberty record, tallying 10 or more points in 62 straight contests, spanning the 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons.
Miss Consistency, Part 2
Megan Frazee's streak of 62 straight games scoring in double figures is the second-longest active streak in the nation, among Division I women's basketball players. Robyn Fairbanks of Utah Valley State tops the list, as the nation's leading scorer has reached double digits in 77 consecutive outings.
Chasing Another Record
Megan Frazee has posted 10 double-doubles this season, including one in six of her last seven outings, pushing her career total to 46. Katie Feenstra owns the program record, with 49 career double-doubles.
Clamping Down on Defense
The Lady Flames have held 77 consecutive opponents under 50 percent field goal shooting. The last Liberty foe to sink more than half of its field goal attempts was Marist, at the Maryland Terrapin Classic on Dec. 29, 2006.
Liberty is off to a good start defensively in 2008-09. Twenty of the Lady Flames' first 26 opponents have shot below 40 percent from the floor. Liberty leads the Big South and ranks No. 8 nationally with a .343 opponents field goal percentage.
Playing with a Lead
Liberty has not trailed often during its last 11 games. The Lady Flames led six of those contests from wire to wire, and their opponents have held the lead for only 7:39 of the last 440 minutes of action.
Less Than a Point Per Minute
Liberty held Radford to 15 first-half points on Feb. 2, marking the sixth time this season, the Lady Flames have limited their opponent to fewer than 20 first-half markers. Liberty has gone on to win all six contests.
During the Lady Flames' current winning streak, they have outscored their opponents by an average score of 32.0 to 21.9 in the first half.
Liberty Triumvirate
Megan Frazee now ranks No. 8 all-time in the Big South for points (1,747) and No. 6 for rebounds (882). She is one of three players to rank in the top 10 of both categories. The other two include former Liberty standouts, Katie Feenstra and Elena Kisseleva.
Live Video Streaming (Big South EDGE)
Live WWMC Radio Broadcast
Live Stats
The Game
The Liberty Lady Flames (19-7, 13-0 Big South) will complete their 2008-09 home schedule Monday, when Presbyterian (4-22, 1-12 Big South) invades the Vines Center. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
What to Watch
The Liberty seniors will play their final home game Monday. The Lady Flames are 91-29 over the past four seasons, including 47-5 at the Vines Center.
The Lady Flames will be going for their eighth 20-win season in the last nine years. A victory would give Liberty's men's and women's basketball teams 20 wins apiece for just the second time in school history.
The Lady Flames have won nine straight home games, 16 straight games overall and 17 straight games versus conference foes.
Megan Frazee will look to score in double digits for the 63rd straight contest and break Elena Kisseleva's school record.
Lady Flames On The Air
All Lady Flames basketball games may be heard LIVE on WWMC 90.9 FM "The Light." Jamie Hall, celebrating his 15th year of broadcasting Lady Flames basketball, will once again be handling the courtside play-by-play duties for most road games. Josh Wood will serve as the commentator for home contests and will provide color analysis on the road.
Lady Flames On TV
For the sixth season in a row, the Flames Television Network (FTN) plans to broadcast all 12 home women's basketball games. FTN's regular announcing team will consist of Ray Jones on play-by-play and Jamie Hall on color.
Scouting Presbyterian
Presbyterian is battling several apparent disadvantages, as the Blue Hose sport only eight players on their active roster, including just two juniors and no seniors. Additionally, sophomore forward Chelsea Wright, the tallest player on Ronny Fisher's team, stands 5-11.
The Blue Hose picked up their first-ever Big South victory on Feb. 21, defeating Gardner-Webb by a 62-53 score in Clinton, S.C. All four of Presbyterian's triumphs in 2008-09 have come at Templeton Arena. The Blue Hose are 0-13 in road contests this season and have dropped 26 consecutive road decisions since a 63-62 win at South Carolina State on Dec. 4, 2007.
A pair of sophomore guards have led the way for the Blue Hose this season. Katlin Moore paces the team with 11.8 ppg. The conference leader in minutes played, at 36.4 mpg, Moore is sixth in the Big South with 3.9 apg and sits seventh in scoring.
Classmate Amanda Mills chips in with 11.5 ppg. She ranks third in the Big South with 63 three-pointers and is making her free throws at a 86.4 percent clip.
Wright is Presbyterian's leading rebounder, hauling in 5.8 rpg, the 13th-highest figure in the conference.
The Coaching Matchup
Liberty Head Coach Carey Green is in his 10th season with the Lady Flames, and has led his team to eight Big South titles. A four-time Big South Coach of the Year, Green owns a 232-75 career record and is the all-time wins leader at Liberty and among Big South women's basketball coaches. His career winning percentage (.756) ranked 10th among active NCAA Division I women's basketball coaches at the season's outset. Green is 2-0 all-time against Presbyterian.
Ronny Fisher is 4-22 in his first season as Presbyterian's head coach. The Furman alumnus had previously spent 10 years as an assistant coach for the Blue Hose men's basketball team. He is 0-1 coaching against Liberty.
Liberty-Presbyterian Series Notes
Liberty is 2-0 all-time versus Presbyterian, winning the teams' lone matchup at the Vines Center.
The Blue Hose put up a strong fight in their first meeting with the Lady Flames this season, Jan. 17 at Templeton Arena. Presbyterian trailed by a single point, 20-19, at halftime, before Liberty gained some breathing room with a 15-2 run to open the second stanza. The Lady Flames went on to post a 59-49 triumph. Sisters Megan and Moriah Frazee both reached double digits for the victors, totaling 14 and 11 points, respectively. Amanda Mills and Katlin Moore provided more than 75 percent of Presbyterian's offensive production. Mills hit four triples in a 21-point effort, while Moore added 16 points.
Last year, Liberty defeated Presbyterian, 88-41, Jan. 26, 2008 at the Vines Center. The Lady Flames held the Blue Hose without a field goal for the first 12 minutes of the game, running out to a 29-2 lead. All three Frazee triplets scored in double digits for Liberty, led by Moriah's 15 points. The game's high scorer was Presbyterian's Amy Jones, with 16 markers.
Masterful in March
Liberty has gone 31-10 during the month of March under Carey Green, with eight of the setbacks coming in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Flames are 7-1 in the regular season, 22-1 in the Big South Championship and 2-8 in the "Big Dance" during the year's third month, under his direction. Last season, Liberty went 4-1 in March.
At home, the Lady Flames have won 15 consecutive March tilts, since a 68-58 loss to American on March 7, 1992.
The Lady Flames are 39-35 all-time in March contests and did not pick up their first victory in the month until the program's 13th season. Liberty's initial March triumph was an 82-69 win over Randolph-Macon on March 3, 1988.
Special Seniors
Saturday was Senior Night, but Liberty's seniors will play at the Vines Center for the final time on Monday. The senior class has posted a 91-29 record over the past four seasons, including a 47-5 mark at its home venue.
Looking for the Extra Point
Liberty has won its first 13 Big South games of the season, leaving the Lady Flames just one victory shy of tying the Big South record for most conference wins in a single year. A team has won 14 Big South contests on four previous occasions, including Liberty in back-to-back years (2002-03 and 2003-04) and UNC Greensboro twice (1992-93 and 1994-95).
We Are the (Regular-Season) Champions!
Liberty's 81-59 win at Charleston Southern on Feb. 23 not only kept the Lady Flames unbeaten in conference play, but it clinched the outright Big South regular-season title. Liberty has now captured 11 conference regular-season crowns in the last 12 years.
Accurate Avery
Avery Warley made 11 consecutive field goal attempts, between Feb. 9 and Feb. 21. The Big South field goal percentage leader at 61.7 percent, Warley has connected on 21 of her last 24 field goals (87.5 percent).
A Star On the Court and In the Classroom
Megan Frazee, a kinesiology major with a 3.91 cumulative GPA, was recognized on Feb. 23 as a first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American. A second team Academic All-American last season, Frazee is the first Lady Flame ever to earn first-team status. She is Liberty's sixth first-team honoree at the Division I level, in all sports. Frazee is also the fourth individual in school history to earn multiple Academic All-America honors.
Coach Green Versus the Big South
Liberty head coach Carey Green has enjoyed considerable success versus the Big South during his first nine seasons with the Lady Flames. His teams are 149-13 against Big South opponents, including 125-12 in the regular season and 24-1 in the Big South Championship.
Green has never lost to his alma mater, Coastal Carolina (23-0), or Charleston Southern (22-0) during his time at Liberty.
Turning Up the Heat in the Furnace
The 2008-09 campaign is the 17th season the Liberty University women's basketball team has called the Vines Center its full-time home. Liberty's first-ever contest at the Vines Center was an 86-74 loss to East Tennessee State, on Dec. 7, 1990, but the "Furnace" has served as a favorable venue for the Lady Flames over the years. Liberty is 187-51 (.786) all-time at the Vines Center, including 13-0 last season. The Lady Flames, 9-2 at the Vines Center in 2008-09, only have one home game left this year.
Dial Three Digits for Long Distance
The Lady Flames have been able to continue a long-standing streak, so far this season. The Lady Flames have made at least one three-pointer in a school-record 129 straight games, a run which began on Feb. 26, 2005. None of the current Lady Flames were in college when the streak started.
Winning Streaks
The Lady Flames are currently on an 16-game winning streak, as they have not lost a game since falling at No. 19/20 Vanderbilt on Dec. 22.
The streak is the fourth longest in program history. Here is a look at the Lady Flames' longest winning streaks, eight of which have come with Carey Green as head coach.
1) 28 games (Nov. 21, 1997 - Feb. 28, 1998)
2) 22 games (Dec. 21, 2002 - March 9, 2003)
3) 19 games (Jan. 6, 2004 - March 13, 2004)
4) 16 games (Dec. 29, 2008 - Present)
5) 14 games (Jan. 28, 2006 - March 11, 2006)
6T) 13 games (Jan. 5, 2008 - Feb. 23, 2008)
6T) 13 games (Jan. 24, 2002 - March 2, 2002)
8T) 12 games (Jan. 15, 2005 - Feb. 21, 2005)
8T) 12 games (Jan. 23, 1999 - Feb. 27, 1999)
10) 11 games (Feb. 3, 2000 - March 4, 2000)
20-20 Vision
The Lady Flames can make Big South Conference history with one more victory, by joining the Liberty men's basketball team in the 20-win club this season. Coach Ritchie McKay's squad takes a 21-10 ledger into this week's Big South Men's Basketball Championship.
The Lady Flames' next win would give the university a pair of 20-win basketball teams for the second time in program history. In 1996-97, the Lady Flames went 22-7, while their male counterparts racked up a 23-9 mark.
The feat has only been accomplished four times in Big South annals: by Radford in 1991-92, UNC Greensboro in 1994-95, Liberty in 1996-97 and Winthrop last season. Liberty would become the first conference school to make two appearances in the 20/20 club.
Nation's Longest Winning Streaks
Liberty has won 16 games in a row, which is tied for the fifth-longest current winning streak among NCAA Division I women's basketball games, through the weekend.
Liberty in the National Rankings
During Liberty's winning streak, the Lady Flames have been surging upward in the NCAA national statistical rankings. Liberty now ranks in the top 15 nationally in four statistical categories. The Lady Flames are listed No. 2 in rebounding margin (+12.4), No. 7 in scoring defense (53.0 ppg), No. 8 in field goal percentage defense (.343) and No. 12 in field goal percentage (.455)
Liberty and No. 1 Connecticut are the only two teams in the nation which rank in the top 15 of all four of those categories.
On a Record Pace
Liberty is yielding just 52.5 ppg and has held 13 opponents below the 50-point mark. The Lady Flames' stifling defense is among the best in program history. Liberty's all-time record for scoring defense in a season is 54.7 ppg, set in 2001-02.
Miss Consistency
Megan Frazee has scored in double figures in each of her last 62 games, dating back to Jan. 27, 2007. It is the longest such streak of her career and is tied for the program record.
Elena Kisseleva shares the Liberty record, tallying 10 or more points in 62 straight contests, spanning the 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons.
Miss Consistency, Part 2
Megan Frazee's streak of 62 straight games scoring in double figures is the second-longest active streak in the nation, among Division I women's basketball players. Robyn Fairbanks of Utah Valley State tops the list, as the nation's leading scorer has reached double digits in 77 consecutive outings.
Chasing Another Record
Megan Frazee has posted 10 double-doubles this season, including one in six of her last seven outings, pushing her career total to 46. Katie Feenstra owns the program record, with 49 career double-doubles.
Clamping Down on Defense
The Lady Flames have held 77 consecutive opponents under 50 percent field goal shooting. The last Liberty foe to sink more than half of its field goal attempts was Marist, at the Maryland Terrapin Classic on Dec. 29, 2006.
Liberty is off to a good start defensively in 2008-09. Twenty of the Lady Flames' first 26 opponents have shot below 40 percent from the floor. Liberty leads the Big South and ranks No. 8 nationally with a .343 opponents field goal percentage.
Playing with a Lead
Liberty has not trailed often during its last 11 games. The Lady Flames led six of those contests from wire to wire, and their opponents have held the lead for only 7:39 of the last 440 minutes of action.
Less Than a Point Per Minute
Liberty held Radford to 15 first-half points on Feb. 2, marking the sixth time this season, the Lady Flames have limited their opponent to fewer than 20 first-half markers. Liberty has gone on to win all six contests.
During the Lady Flames' current winning streak, they have outscored their opponents by an average score of 32.0 to 21.9 in the first half.
Liberty Triumvirate
Megan Frazee now ranks No. 8 all-time in the Big South for points (1,747) and No. 6 for rebounds (882). She is one of three players to rank in the top 10 of both categories. The other two include former Liberty standouts, Katie Feenstra and Elena Kisseleva.
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