WBB Game Day Central: Charlotte
11/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Game Day Central Page
Liberty Women's Basketball Game Notes
Game Time:
6 p.m.
Official Tipoff:
6:05 p.m.
TV Coverage:
Liberty Flames Sports Network – TV
ESPN3
Big South Network
Play-By-Play Broadcaster: Mike Tilley
Color Commentator: Kelley Deyo
Sideline Reporter: Chierstin Susel
Halftime/Postgame Reporters:
Erin Hagen, Adam Deyo and Heather Stephens
Radio Coverage:
Liberty Flames Sports Network – Radio
WWMC 90.9 FM The Light
Play-By-Play Broadcaster: Jamie Hall
Today's Game
The Liberty women's basketball team tips off its 40th season of competition Friday at 6 p.m., welcoming Charlotte of Conference USA to the Vines Center. The Lady Flames' first season opener played at home since the 2009-10 season will be part of a tripleheader at the Vines Center, sandwiched between volleyball (3:30 p.m.) and men's basketball (8:30 p.m.)
The "Starting Five" - Liberty's Top Storylines
1) Liberty is facing Charlotte in the season opener for the second straight year. The 49ers notched a 66-56 victory over the Lady Flames at Halton Arena on Nov. 8, 2013, snapping the Lady Flames' 11-game road winning streak.
2) The Lady Flames are in search of their first-ever victory over Charlotte. The 49ers have won both previous meetings with the Lady Flames, but Friday's contest marks Charlotte's first visit to Lynchburg.
3) Liberty will attempt to become the first Big South team to defeat Charlotte since Nov. 16, 1997. Since then, the 49ers have won 21 straight games against Big South foes.
4) Expectations are high for both Liberty and Charlotte entering the new year. The Lady Flames are the Big South Conference preseason favorite for the 17th time in the last 18 years. Meanwhile, the 49ers were picked fifth of 14 teams in Conference USA following a season which saw them play in the Postseason WNIT.
5) Redshirt junior post player Ashley Rininger is a Preseason All-Big South first team selection. She led the Lady Flames in scoring (14.7 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg) a year ago and needs just three boards to reach 500 for her career.
Liberty vs. Charlotte At a Glance
Series History
Series Record: Charlotte leads, 2-0.
Current Streak: Charlotte has won two consecutive meetings.
Series Record at Liberty: First meeting
Last Meeting: Charlotte 66, Liberty 56 (Nov. 8, 2013 at Charlotte)
Coaching Matchup
Liberty Head Coach: Carey Green
Overall Record (Seasons): 357-121 (16th Season)
Record at Liberty (Seasons): Same
Record vs. Charlotte: 0-2
Charlotte Head Coach: Cara Consuegra
Overall Record (Seasons): 57-36 (Fourth Season)
Record at Charlotte (Seasons): Same
Record vs. Liberty: 1-0
Notes and Anecdotes
• Charlotte and Liberty will open the season facing one another for the second straight year. Last season, the 49ers defeated the Lady Flames by a 66-56 count at Halton Arena on Nov. 8, 2013.
• Emily Frazier is the only active player who has appeared in both Liberty-Charlotte matchups on the hardwood. She tallied two points, five rebounds and three assists during a 62-56 49ers victory in the opening round of the 2011 Postseason WNIT (March 16, 2011) and had three points, four rebounds and four assists during the Lady Flames' 2013-14 season opener at Charlotte.
• Both of these teams are accustomed to playing in the postseason. Charlotte has made 12 straight postseason appearances, including a berth in the Postseason WNIT in 2014. Meanwhile, the Lady Flames had a streak of six consecutive postseason bids snapped a year ago. The first-ever meeting between Liberty and Charlotte happened during the postseason, in the first round of the 2011 WNIT.
• Expectations are high for Liberty and Charlotte entering the 2014-15 season. The Lady Flames were picked as the Big South Conference favorite for the 17th time in 18 seasons, while the 49ers were tabbed for fifth place out of 14 teams in Conference USA.
• Charlotte will face three Big South Conference teams this season, including the season opener at Liberty and home matchups with Charleston Southern (Dec. 7) and Presbyterian (Dec. 18). The 49ers have won 21 straight games against Big South opponents since a 78-65 loss at Radford on Nov. 16, 1997, including victories over Liberty and Winthrop in 2013-14.
Great Expectations
For the seventh consecutive season and the 17th time in the last 18 years, Liberty was picked to win the Big South Conference title by the league's head coaches. Additionally, redshirt junior post player Ashley Rininger earned a spot on the preseason All-Big South first team.
Veteran Squad
The 2014-15 Liberty women's basketball team is an experienced group. Here is a look at the Lady Flames by the numbers.
• 10 of Liberty's 15 players are either juniors or seniors (according to eligibility).
• Five Lady Flames already own bachelor's degrees, including Karly Buer, Emily Frazier, Jasmine Gardner, Catherine Kearney and Ashley Rininger.
• Liberty's players have started a combined 328 career games, including Karly Buer's 78 starts at Missouri State and Mikal Johnson's 28 starts at Rider.
• The average age of this year's Lady Flames on the opening day of the season is 20.5.
• Emily Frazier and Ellee Rollins are both engaged.
Bouncing Back
The 2013-14 Lady Flames went 20-11 but failed to win either the Big South regular-season or tournament title. The last time that happened at Liberty was 2006-07. The following year, the Lady Flames tied the program record with 28 victories, swept the conference regular-season and tournament championships and earned the program's best-ever NCAA Tournament seed at No. 12.
Welcome Back
Ten of the 14 players who saw action for the 2013-14 Lady Flames are back on the 2014-15 roster. The returnees accounted for 87.3 percent of the team's points, 91 percent of the rebounds and 82.8 percent of the minutes played a season ago.
Welcome Back, Part 2
Three Liberty players will return to the court this season following extended absences due to injury.
• Jasmine Gardner missed the entire 2013-14 season with a knee injury. Her most recent appearance came in the Big South Championship title game against Longwood on March 10, 2013.
• Karly Buer sat out the last 27 games of Missouri State's 2013-14 season with a knee injury. Her last action came at Arkansas on Nov. 22, 2013.
• Catherine Kearney was sidelined for the final 10 games of the 2013-14 campaign after suffering a season-ending ankle injury at Campbell on Feb. 1, 2014.
Lady Flames' Big 3
Liberty's roster features a trio of redshirt juniors standing 6-4 or taller, including 6-6 Catherine Kearney, 6-5 Katelyn Adams and 6-4 Ashley Rininger. The Lady Flames are one of 11 NCAA Division I women's basketball programs featuring three players who stand 6-4 or taller, including the only such squad in the Big South.
The other 10 teams with at least three 6-4 players include Dayton, Duke, Florida A&M, Monmouth, Penn State, South Carolina, Syracuse, Texas, UCLA and Wisconsin.
What Did You Do Over the Summer?
It has been an eventful eight months since the Lady Flames' 2013-14 season came to an end. The Liberty players and coaching staff have added some important accessories to their collection since then, including:
Engagement Ring: Emily Frazier and Samuel Seaborn were engaged in April and are planning a May 2015 wedding.
Diploma: Current Lady Flames Jasmine Gardner, Catherine Kearney and Ashley Rininger each earned their bachelor's degrees at Liberty's May commencement ceremony.
Wedding Band: Assistant coach Brittany Hoyt (formerly Brittany Campbell) married former Liberty men's basketball player Tanner Hoyt in June.
Stones: The Lady Flames toured Israel in June, visiting numerous sites in the Holy Land. Along the way, they were able to pick up stones from the same stream where David selected the stones he used to kill Goliath.
Championship Trophy: Liberty went 4-0 to win the championship of the 2014 Friendship Games tournament in Eilat, Israel. The Lady Flames, who had previously captured the 2010 Friendship Games crown, defeated Palestine (52-21), Jordan (51-16), ASA Tel Aviv (47-18) and Germany (82-17).
Joy: Joyous "Joy" Tharrington joined the Liberty staff in June as a graduate assistant.
Turning 40
The 2014-15 campaign is the 40th season of Liberty women's basketball. The program began in 1975-76, under the direction of head coach Brenda Bonheim. The following is a look at the Lady Flames' first 39 years by the numbers.
• 22 winning seasons, including 16 20-win campaigns
• 15 Big South Championship titles and 14 Big South regular-season titles
• 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2005
• 2 All-Americans (Katie Feenstra and Megan Frazee) and 2 Academic All-Americans (Megan Frazee and Kristal Tharp)
• 3 alumni who played in the WNBA (Katie Feenstra, Megan Frazee and Avery Warley)
• 6 head coaches (Brenda Bonheim, Linda Farver, Mike Goad, Sue Kelly, Rick Reeves and Carey Green)
