WBB Game Day Central: High Point
3/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Complete Game Notes (PDF format)
Live Video Streaming (Big South Network)
Live WWMC Radio Broadcast
Live Stats
Home Game Information
High Point Women's Basketball Webpage
The Game
Liberty (23-5, 13-2 Big South) will wrap up the 2009-10 regular season Monday at 7 p.m., when High Point (16-12, 9-6 Big South) visits the Vines Center for a matchup between the Big South Conference's two preseason favorites. The game will be the Lady Flames' Senior Night, and Amber Mays will be recognized prior to tipoff.
Last Time Out
Liberty controlled the area around the basket during Friday evening's home game against Commonwealth rival Radford, outrebounding the Highlanders, 46-23, and tallying 48 points in the paint. As a result, the Lady Flames doubled up Radford on the scoreboard, 66-33.
On Deck
Liberty will play in one of four quarterfinal contests, Friday at the Big South Women's Basketball Championship. The Lady Flames will attempt to claim their 13th Big South Championship title in 14 seasons, at the Millis Center in High Point, N.C.
Lady Flames On The Air
All Lady Flames basketball games may be heard LIVE on WWMC 90.9 FM "The Light." Jamie Hall, in the midst of his 16th year of broadcasting Lady Flames basketball, is once again handling the courtside play-by-play duties for road games. Nick Pierce and Josh Wood serve as the primary commentators for home contests.
Lady Flames On TV
All 15 of Liberty's home women's basketball games will be televised in 2009-10, including 14 on the Flames Sports Network (FSN) and one on SportSouth/MASN. The FSN broadcasting team consists of Ray Jones on play-by-play and Jamie Hall on color.
Scouting High Point
High Point currently sits third in the Big South Conference standings at 9-6, but the Panthers have struggled away from the Millis Center this season. High Point is 4-8 in road games and has dropped three straight Big South road tilts. The Panthers' last conference win away from home was a 77-63 victory at UNC Asheville on Jan. 25.
The Panthers have had numerous players step up in different games this season, as evidenced by the fact five different players have led the team in scoring in the last five contests.
Shamia Brown, a 5-11 sophomore forward who won the 2009 Big South Freshman of the Year honor, paces a group of eight Panthers who average between 6.3 and 10.1 ppg. Amy Dodd, a 5-10 junior guard/forward, chips in 9.5 ppg.
Mackenzie Maier, a 6-3 junior forward/center, adds 9.3 ppg and ranks No. 8 nationally with 3.1 blocks per contest. Big South Preseason Player of the Year Jurica Hargraves, a 5-4 junior guard, scores 8.7 ppg and has drained a team-leading 45 triples on the year.
The Coaching Matchup
Liberty Head Coach Carey Green is in his 11th season with the Lady Flames, and has led his team to nine Big South titles. A five-time Big South Coach of the Year, Green owns a 260-82 career record and is the all-time wins leader at Liberty and among Big South women's basketball coaches. His career winning percentage (.760) ranked ninth all-time among NCAA Division I women's basketball coaches at the season's outset. Green is 20-6 all-time against High Point.
Tooey Loy owns a 146-113 record in his ninth season coaching at his alma mater. He is a two-time Big South Coach of the Year (2005 and 2007) and has led the Panthers to six top-three finishes in the Big South regular-season standings. He is 5-15 versus Liberty during his coaching career.
Liberty-High Point Series Notes
Liberty is 24-9 all-time versus High Point, but the Panthers have been the Lady Flames' most competitive Big South Conference rival in recent years. High Point has won five of its last 12 meetings with the Lady Flames, including a pair of victories at the Vines Center during that stretch.
Liberty owns a 9-3 all-time mark against the Panthers at the Vines Center, including a 65-42 victory last season, on Jan. 31, 2009. That contest was highlighted by Rachel Hammond's career-high 25-point outburst for the Lady Flames.
High Point dealt Liberty its only Big South setback a year ago, tripping up the Lady Flames, 58-53, in the regular-season finale at the Millis Center on March 9, 2009. Jurica Hargraves' 21 points and five triples helped the Panthers stop Liberty's 18-game winning streak. She has made 19 three-pointers in six career meetings with the Lady Flames.
The Lady Flames took the teams' first matchup this season, 75-62 at the Millis Center on Jan. 30. Liberty trailed by seven points at halftime, before Devon Brown took over in the second half. The redshirt freshman posted 19 of her career-high 29 points and eight of her 11 boards after the break. Avery Warley added a career-high 26 points for Liberty, while Hargraves and Shamia Brown finished with 13 apiece for the Panthers.
Turning Up the Heat in the Furnace
The 2009-10 campaign is the 18th season the Liberty women's basketball team has called the Vines Center its full-time home. The "Furnace" has served as a favorable venue for the Lady Flames over the years. Liberty is 200-53 (.791) all-time at the Vines Center, including 10-2 last season.
The Lady Flames are 12-2 to start this year's 15-game home schedule and are 108-11 in their last 119 home games, dating back to the 2001-02 season.
Liberty Versus the Big South Conference
Liberty has enjoyed a considerable amount of success versus Big South Conference opposition, since joining the league for the 1991-92 season. The Lady Flames have won the conference tournament 12 times and captured 11 regular-season championships.
Liberty is 240-69 (.777) all-time against Big South opponents, including 204-63 in regular-season matchups and 36-6 in Big South Championship tilts. During Carey Green's tenure as head coach, the Lady Flames are 167-16 (.913) when facing Big South foes.
Marvelous in March
Liberty has gone 38-12 during the month of March under Carey Green, with nine of the setbacks coming in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Flames are 11-2 in the regular season, 25-1 in the Big South Championship and 2-9 in the "Big Dance" during the year's third month, under his direction. This season, the Lady Flames are 2-0 to start the calendar year's third month.
The Lady Flames are 46-37 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.
Finishing Strong
The Lady Flames have ended the regular season with a win in 10 of the last 12 seasons. All 10 times Liberty has won its final regular-season contest during the span, the Lady Flames have gone on to capture the Big South Championship title.
Last season, High Point spoiled the Lady Flames' regular-season finale, claiming a 58-53 win at the Millis Center on March 9, 2009.
Amazing Amber
Monday's game will mark the final home contest of senior point guard Amber Mays' career with the Lady Flames. Since transferring from State Fair Community College prior to the 2008-09 season, Mays has led Liberty to a 47-14 record, including a 31-3 mark against Big South Conference foes. Here are a few of her accomplishments.
-- First Lady Flame since Sarah Wilkerson (1996-97 through 1998-99) to post 100 assists and 50 steals in back-to-back seasons.
-- Her 10 assists versus Winthrop on Jan. 9 were the most by a Lady Flame since Nov. 22, 2002.
-- Her eight steals against East Tennessee State on Jan. 13, 2009 were the most by a Liberty player since Feb. 21, 2000.
Bench Bunch
Since Jelena Antic returned from injury on Feb. 20, the Liberty bench is posting 23.0 ppg. The Lady Flames are 15-1 this year when scoring the most bench points in a game.
Climbing the Freshman Charts
Devon Brown is fashioning one of the best freshman seasons in program history. She ranks among Liberty's top five in both freshman points and freshman rebounds.
Brown's Big South-leading 455 points are the second-most ever scored by a Lady Flames rookie. Elena Kisseleva tops the list, with her 648 points in 1996-97.
The Waynesboro, Va., native also sits fifth in rebounds among Liberty freshmen, with 236 caroms. The top four spots are occupied by Cheri Yates (267 rebounds in 1988-89), Avery Warley (256 in 2008-09), Elena Kisseleva (248 in 1996-97) and Melanie May (239 in 1980-81).
Halfway to 1,000/1,000
Avery Warley reached a career milestone during the Feb. 15 game at Winthrop. With her putback hoop 13:42 before halftime, Warley became the 50th player in program to score 500 career points.
Warley then became the 21st Lady Flame ever to grab 500 career rebounds, with her defensive board with 9:31 left in Friday's win over Radford. The redshirt sophomore is now halfway to becoming Liberty's third member of the 1,000/1,000 club.
No Triples? No Problem
Liberty did not make a three-pointer during its win over Radford on Friday, shooting 0-4 from behind the arc. It was the 11th time this season that the Lady Flames have connected on either zero or one triples in a contest. Liberty is 10-1 in those games, despite its lack of three-point shooting.
Six-Game Winning Streak
Liberty has won six straight games, marking its third winning streak of five games or longer this season. The Lady Flames have only trailed for a total of 6:54 during the streak.
Defense has keyed the winning streak, as evidenced by Liberty's 44.7 ppg allowed. The Lady Flames have also averaged 13.7 steals per contest.
Individually, Avery Warley is shooting 70.5 percent from the field, with 13.8 ppg and 9.8 rpg during the six-game winning skein.
Youth will be Served
Underclassmen have stepped up to fill the void left by the seven seniors who graduated from the 2008-09 Liberty roster. Through the first 28 games of the 2009-10 campaign, the Lady Flames' freshmen and sophomores are accounting for 74.5 percent of the team's points and 75.6 percent of Liberty's rebounds.
The Lady Flames' top five rebounders are all either freshmen or sophomores, as are four of their top five scorers.
There is Only One
Starting point guard Amber Mays is the only senior on this year's team roster. Liberty has not had so few seniors since the 2005-06 Lady Flames played the season without a single senior.
Mays has played well during her final collegiate campaign, leading the Lady Flames in assists (3.9 apg) and steals (2.3 apg), while ranking second in field goal percentage (.532) and fourth in scoring (8.1 ppg).
20/20 Vision
Devon Brown (29 points) and Avery Warley (26 points) both set new career highs for points during a Jan. 30, 75-62 victory at High Point. In the process, the duo became the first pair of Lady Flames to score 20 points in the same game since Megan Frazee had 22 points and sister Moriah Frazee added 20 in a 76-57 triumph over High Point on Jan. 29, 2008.
Brown and Warley were at it again, Feb. 22 against Charleston Southern. Warley paced all players with 22 points, while Brown added 20 markers of her own against the Buccaneers.
Live Video Streaming (Big South Network)
Live WWMC Radio Broadcast
Live Stats
Home Game Information
High Point Women's Basketball Webpage
The Game
Liberty (23-5, 13-2 Big South) will wrap up the 2009-10 regular season Monday at 7 p.m., when High Point (16-12, 9-6 Big South) visits the Vines Center for a matchup between the Big South Conference's two preseason favorites. The game will be the Lady Flames' Senior Night, and Amber Mays will be recognized prior to tipoff.
Last Time Out
Liberty controlled the area around the basket during Friday evening's home game against Commonwealth rival Radford, outrebounding the Highlanders, 46-23, and tallying 48 points in the paint. As a result, the Lady Flames doubled up Radford on the scoreboard, 66-33.
On Deck
Liberty will play in one of four quarterfinal contests, Friday at the Big South Women's Basketball Championship. The Lady Flames will attempt to claim their 13th Big South Championship title in 14 seasons, at the Millis Center in High Point, N.C.
Lady Flames On The Air
All Lady Flames basketball games may be heard LIVE on WWMC 90.9 FM "The Light." Jamie Hall, in the midst of his 16th year of broadcasting Lady Flames basketball, is once again handling the courtside play-by-play duties for road games. Nick Pierce and Josh Wood serve as the primary commentators for home contests.
Lady Flames On TV
All 15 of Liberty's home women's basketball games will be televised in 2009-10, including 14 on the Flames Sports Network (FSN) and one on SportSouth/MASN. The FSN broadcasting team consists of Ray Jones on play-by-play and Jamie Hall on color.
Scouting High Point
High Point currently sits third in the Big South Conference standings at 9-6, but the Panthers have struggled away from the Millis Center this season. High Point is 4-8 in road games and has dropped three straight Big South road tilts. The Panthers' last conference win away from home was a 77-63 victory at UNC Asheville on Jan. 25.
The Panthers have had numerous players step up in different games this season, as evidenced by the fact five different players have led the team in scoring in the last five contests.
Shamia Brown, a 5-11 sophomore forward who won the 2009 Big South Freshman of the Year honor, paces a group of eight Panthers who average between 6.3 and 10.1 ppg. Amy Dodd, a 5-10 junior guard/forward, chips in 9.5 ppg.
Mackenzie Maier, a 6-3 junior forward/center, adds 9.3 ppg and ranks No. 8 nationally with 3.1 blocks per contest. Big South Preseason Player of the Year Jurica Hargraves, a 5-4 junior guard, scores 8.7 ppg and has drained a team-leading 45 triples on the year.
The Coaching Matchup
Liberty Head Coach Carey Green is in his 11th season with the Lady Flames, and has led his team to nine Big South titles. A five-time Big South Coach of the Year, Green owns a 260-82 career record and is the all-time wins leader at Liberty and among Big South women's basketball coaches. His career winning percentage (.760) ranked ninth all-time among NCAA Division I women's basketball coaches at the season's outset. Green is 20-6 all-time against High Point.
Tooey Loy owns a 146-113 record in his ninth season coaching at his alma mater. He is a two-time Big South Coach of the Year (2005 and 2007) and has led the Panthers to six top-three finishes in the Big South regular-season standings. He is 5-15 versus Liberty during his coaching career.
Liberty-High Point Series Notes
Liberty is 24-9 all-time versus High Point, but the Panthers have been the Lady Flames' most competitive Big South Conference rival in recent years. High Point has won five of its last 12 meetings with the Lady Flames, including a pair of victories at the Vines Center during that stretch.
Liberty owns a 9-3 all-time mark against the Panthers at the Vines Center, including a 65-42 victory last season, on Jan. 31, 2009. That contest was highlighted by Rachel Hammond's career-high 25-point outburst for the Lady Flames.
High Point dealt Liberty its only Big South setback a year ago, tripping up the Lady Flames, 58-53, in the regular-season finale at the Millis Center on March 9, 2009. Jurica Hargraves' 21 points and five triples helped the Panthers stop Liberty's 18-game winning streak. She has made 19 three-pointers in six career meetings with the Lady Flames.
The Lady Flames took the teams' first matchup this season, 75-62 at the Millis Center on Jan. 30. Liberty trailed by seven points at halftime, before Devon Brown took over in the second half. The redshirt freshman posted 19 of her career-high 29 points and eight of her 11 boards after the break. Avery Warley added a career-high 26 points for Liberty, while Hargraves and Shamia Brown finished with 13 apiece for the Panthers.
Turning Up the Heat in the Furnace
The 2009-10 campaign is the 18th season the Liberty women's basketball team has called the Vines Center its full-time home. The "Furnace" has served as a favorable venue for the Lady Flames over the years. Liberty is 200-53 (.791) all-time at the Vines Center, including 10-2 last season.
The Lady Flames are 12-2 to start this year's 15-game home schedule and are 108-11 in their last 119 home games, dating back to the 2001-02 season.
Liberty Versus the Big South Conference
Liberty has enjoyed a considerable amount of success versus Big South Conference opposition, since joining the league for the 1991-92 season. The Lady Flames have won the conference tournament 12 times and captured 11 regular-season championships.
Liberty is 240-69 (.777) all-time against Big South opponents, including 204-63 in regular-season matchups and 36-6 in Big South Championship tilts. During Carey Green's tenure as head coach, the Lady Flames are 167-16 (.913) when facing Big South foes.
Marvelous in March
Liberty has gone 38-12 during the month of March under Carey Green, with nine of the setbacks coming in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Flames are 11-2 in the regular season, 25-1 in the Big South Championship and 2-9 in the "Big Dance" during the year's third month, under his direction. This season, the Lady Flames are 2-0 to start the calendar year's third month.
The Lady Flames are 46-37 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.
Finishing Strong
The Lady Flames have ended the regular season with a win in 10 of the last 12 seasons. All 10 times Liberty has won its final regular-season contest during the span, the Lady Flames have gone on to capture the Big South Championship title.
Last season, High Point spoiled the Lady Flames' regular-season finale, claiming a 58-53 win at the Millis Center on March 9, 2009.
Amazing Amber
Monday's game will mark the final home contest of senior point guard Amber Mays' career with the Lady Flames. Since transferring from State Fair Community College prior to the 2008-09 season, Mays has led Liberty to a 47-14 record, including a 31-3 mark against Big South Conference foes. Here are a few of her accomplishments.
-- First Lady Flame since Sarah Wilkerson (1996-97 through 1998-99) to post 100 assists and 50 steals in back-to-back seasons.
-- Her 10 assists versus Winthrop on Jan. 9 were the most by a Lady Flame since Nov. 22, 2002.
-- Her eight steals against East Tennessee State on Jan. 13, 2009 were the most by a Liberty player since Feb. 21, 2000.
Bench Bunch
Since Jelena Antic returned from injury on Feb. 20, the Liberty bench is posting 23.0 ppg. The Lady Flames are 15-1 this year when scoring the most bench points in a game.
Climbing the Freshman Charts
Devon Brown is fashioning one of the best freshman seasons in program history. She ranks among Liberty's top five in both freshman points and freshman rebounds.
Brown's Big South-leading 455 points are the second-most ever scored by a Lady Flames rookie. Elena Kisseleva tops the list, with her 648 points in 1996-97.
The Waynesboro, Va., native also sits fifth in rebounds among Liberty freshmen, with 236 caroms. The top four spots are occupied by Cheri Yates (267 rebounds in 1988-89), Avery Warley (256 in 2008-09), Elena Kisseleva (248 in 1996-97) and Melanie May (239 in 1980-81).
Halfway to 1,000/1,000
Avery Warley reached a career milestone during the Feb. 15 game at Winthrop. With her putback hoop 13:42 before halftime, Warley became the 50th player in program to score 500 career points.
Warley then became the 21st Lady Flame ever to grab 500 career rebounds, with her defensive board with 9:31 left in Friday's win over Radford. The redshirt sophomore is now halfway to becoming Liberty's third member of the 1,000/1,000 club.
No Triples? No Problem
Liberty did not make a three-pointer during its win over Radford on Friday, shooting 0-4 from behind the arc. It was the 11th time this season that the Lady Flames have connected on either zero or one triples in a contest. Liberty is 10-1 in those games, despite its lack of three-point shooting.
Six-Game Winning Streak
Liberty has won six straight games, marking its third winning streak of five games or longer this season. The Lady Flames have only trailed for a total of 6:54 during the streak.
Defense has keyed the winning streak, as evidenced by Liberty's 44.7 ppg allowed. The Lady Flames have also averaged 13.7 steals per contest.
Individually, Avery Warley is shooting 70.5 percent from the field, with 13.8 ppg and 9.8 rpg during the six-game winning skein.
Youth will be Served
Underclassmen have stepped up to fill the void left by the seven seniors who graduated from the 2008-09 Liberty roster. Through the first 28 games of the 2009-10 campaign, the Lady Flames' freshmen and sophomores are accounting for 74.5 percent of the team's points and 75.6 percent of Liberty's rebounds.
The Lady Flames' top five rebounders are all either freshmen or sophomores, as are four of their top five scorers.
There is Only One
Starting point guard Amber Mays is the only senior on this year's team roster. Liberty has not had so few seniors since the 2005-06 Lady Flames played the season without a single senior.
Mays has played well during her final collegiate campaign, leading the Lady Flames in assists (3.9 apg) and steals (2.3 apg), while ranking second in field goal percentage (.532) and fourth in scoring (8.1 ppg).
20/20 Vision
Devon Brown (29 points) and Avery Warley (26 points) both set new career highs for points during a Jan. 30, 75-62 victory at High Point. In the process, the duo became the first pair of Lady Flames to score 20 points in the same game since Megan Frazee had 22 points and sister Moriah Frazee added 20 in a 76-57 triumph over High Point on Jan. 29, 2008.
Brown and Warley were at it again, Feb. 22 against Charleston Southern. Warley paced all players with 22 points, while Brown added 20 markers of her own against the Buccaneers.
Saturday, March 14
Friday, March 13
Thursday, March 12
Tuesday, March 10