Liberty University
25-6
No. 5 seed Campbell
19-12
No. 1 Liberty Returns to Final With 71-43 Win Over No. 5 Campbell
3/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Redshirt junior Ashley Rininger (16 points, 14 rebounds) helped No. 1 seed Liberty dominate the interior during Saturday evening's 2015 VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Women's Basketball Championship semifinal matchup with No. 5 seed Campbell. As a result, the Lady Flames advanced to their 17th championship game with an impressive 71-43 victory at The HTC Center.
Rininger's second double-double in as many games contributed to the Lady Flames' sizeable advantages in rebounds (53-32), points in the paint (34-16) and second-chance points (21-9).
Those stats helped guarantee that Liberty would not repeat its semifinal round setback to Winthrop from 2014. Instead, the Lady Flames recorded the largest margin of victory (28 points) in a Big South semifinal tilt since Liberty defeated High Point by an 80-43 count in the 2008 semifinals.
Liberty improved to 25-6 with its 13th straight victory, courtesy of a true team effort. Jaymee Fisher-Davis and Jasmine Gardner scored 10 points apiece off the bench, helping the Lady Flames rack up a 36-3 advantage in bench points.
The Lady Flames will now attempt to win their 16th Big South Championship title Sunday at 5 p.m., when Liberty matches up with the winner of Saturday evening's second semifinal, between No. 3 seed High Point and No. 7 seed Gardner-Webb.
Campbell (19-12) was limited to 24.6 percent (15-of-61) field goal shooting and just 18 second-half points during its third loss to Liberty this season and second in eight days. Kiera Gaines closed out her outstanding career with 16 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals, while freshman teammate Summer Price chipped in 10 points.
Rininger scored six points during an early 13-4 run by Liberty. Fellow redshirt junior post Catherine Kearney scored off of an inbounds play at 13:20, giving the Lady Flames a 17-9 advantage.
Three-pointers by Price and Gaines helped the Lady Camels quickly close the gap. Campbell then briefly reclaimed the lead at 23-22 when a Jessica Pone free throw capped off a 6-0 surge, 5:53 before halftime.
The Lady Camels' lead lasted only 16 seconds, as Karly Buer's putback off a missed free throw gave the Lady Flames the edge with 5:37 remaining.
Buer's hoop also initiated a half-closing 12-2 Liberty run. Fisher-Davis scored five points during the surge, including a history-making pair of free throws 37.5 seconds before halftime.
The junior guard's two foul shots not only gave Liberty a 34-25 halftime lead, but also set a program record for consecutive free throws made without a miss. Fisher-Davis has now hit 26 straight free throws (including a pair in the second half), breaking the previous record of 22 co-held by Jennifer Fairfax (1991) and Buer (earlier this season).
Liberty controlled the paint during the first 20 minutes, enjoying the upper hand in rebounds (27-18), points in the paint (18-8) and second-chance points (13-5). Rininger led the way, nearly recording a double-double in the first half alone, with 10 points and nine boards.
Price's 10 first-half points topped Campbell's scoring chart. The Lady Camels shot only 26.7 percent (8-of-30) from the field before halftime but did hit a trio of three-pointers to keep it close.
Liberty scored the first four points of the second half, taking a 38-25 lead on Sadalia Ellis' layup with 16:52 to play.
Amanda Coffer's mid-range jumper on Campbell's next possession snapped a 6:37 scoreless drought for the Lady Camels, spanning both halves.
Liberty broke the game open with a 9-0 surge midway through the second half. Post players accounted for all nine points, and Rininger's second-chance hoop at the 9:33 mark bolstered the Lady Flame advantage to 53-31.
Campbell got no closer than 17 the rest of the evening, on the way to the Lady Camels' largest margin of defeat this season.
Liberty shot 42.6 percent (23-of-54) for the game and 73.3 percent (22-of-30) from the free throw line.
The Lady Flames continued numerous statistical streaks on Saturday. They have now held 62 straight opponents below 50 percent field goal shooting, outrebounded 20 straight foes and scored more bench points than 11 consecutive opponents.
Rininger's double-double was her third straight at the Big South Championship, dating back to last season. She has notched four double-doubles in her last five outings overall, 12 this season and 31 for her career.
Gardner's 10 points put the redshirt senior at an even 500 for career, and she also pulled down seven boards for the second straight outing.
Kearney also contributed to the Lady Flames' post dominance on Saturday, posting eight points and a matching number of rebounds.
Ellis made it four Lady Flames scoring in double figures. Her 10 points enabled her to join the top 50 scorers in program history with 552 career tallies.
Backcourt mate Emily Frazier also did some list climbing on Saturday. Her two assists moved her into fifth place on Liberty's all-time list with 411 career helpers.
