Liberty University
9-8, 6-2BSC
Coastal Carolina
7-10, 2-6BSC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 14 | 12 | 21 | 18 | 65 |
| Coastal Carolina | 13 | 22 | 10 | 18 | 63 |
Seniors Push Liberty Past Coastal, 65-63
1/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Trailing by nine points at halftime of Tuesday evening's contest at Coastal Carolina, Liberty turned to its senior class. Seniors Catherine Kearney (16 points, 11 rebounds), Katelyn Adams (career-high 16 rebounds) and Sadalia Ellis (10 second-half points) powered a successful comeback, resulting in a 65-63 Lady Flames victory inside The HTC Center.
However, Liberty's 45th consecutive win over the Chanticleers was not secure until junior Mickayla Sanders connected on a pair of free throws with 9.3 seconds remaining. The Lady Flames' sixth win in their last seven outings pushes their overall record above .500 at 9-8 and puts them in a five-way tie for first place in the Big South at 6-2.
The Lady Flames now share the top spot in the Big South standings with Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian, Radford and UNC Asheville.
Coastal Carolina falls to 7-10 overall and 2-6 in Big South play despite cutting an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to one on two occasions. Now 0-4 in Big South home games, the Chanticleers hit 12 triples and put four players (Yasmin Miller – 13, Stephanie Isaacs – 12, Jas Adams – 11 and Nicole Isaacs – 10) in double figures.
Coastal Carolina made three triples during the first 4:50 of the contest, taking an early 11-5 lead on a deep three-pointer by Stephanie Isaacs. The Lady Flames then scored the final six points of the first quarter, taking a 14-13 lead after 10 minutes of play.
The Chanticleers got off to a fast start behind the arc in the second quarter as well, sinking three triples in the first 4:03. Coastal Carolina extended its lead to a dozen points (32-20) on two Nicole Isaacs free throws at the 1:32 mark.
Liberty cut its deficit in half, thanks to a three-point play by Kearney and an NBA-range three-pointer by Sanders. However, the Chanticleers' Nicole Isaacs closed the first half with a long triple of her own, sending the home team to halftime with a 35-26 lead.
Coastal Carolina connected on seven three-pointers in the first half, offsetting big halves by Liberty post players Kearney (9 points, 6 rebounds) and Adams (5 points, 9 rebounds).
Kearney scored Liberty's first five points of the third quarter, sparking a comeback. An Adams free throw at the 3:04 mark finished a 7-0 Lady Flames run and put the red-clad visitors back in front, 41-40. Liberty got to the foul line 12 times during the third quarter, making eight of them, and finished the period with a 47-45 advantage.
The Lady Flames opened the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run, with Jordan Woods scoring the last five points. The redshirt sophomore's three-point play gave Liberty a 56-45 advantage with 6:14 remaining.
Coastal Carolina responded with a 10-0 burst. Derriel Banyard scored five points in 11 seconds to close the run, pulling the Chanticleers to within 56-55 at 3:56. Liberty then held Coastal Carolina without a made field goal for the next 2:25, extending the lead to five.
The Chanticleers cut it to one (62-61) once again on Jas Adams' three-pointer with 1:11 to play. However, Coastal Carolina turned the ball over on its next two possessions and Liberty clinched the hard-fought victory on a Jaymee Fisher-Davis free throw and the aforementioned pair of charity tosses by Sanders.
Liberty finished the game at 36.4 percent (20-of-55) from the field and just 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from three-point range. Coastal Carolina countered at 32.8 percent (21-of-64) from the floor and 33.3 percent (12-of-36) from behind the three-point arc.
The Lady Flames got to the foul line a season-high 33 times, including 26 in the second half. Liberty made more free throws (21) on the night than Coastal Carolina attempted (15) during the game.
Liberty won the rebounding battle, 52-33, including 29-15 after halftime. The Lady Flames also enjoyed significant advantages in points in the paint (28-14) and second-chance points (18-6).
Coastal Carolina was able to turn Liberty's 19 turnovers into 26 points.
Kearney's double-double was her third of the season and the sixth of her career.
Ten of Katelyn Adams' 16 rebounds came at the offensive end, making her the first Lady Flame with double-digit offensive boards since Jasmine Gardner collected 10 against Charleston Southern on March 2, 2013.
Ellis scored in double figures for the fifth time in the last six outings, finishing with 14 points.
Both Brooke Alexander (8 points) and Woods (7 points) set career highs for scoring, while Sanders matched her career highs for rebounds (9), assists (team-high 4) and steals (team-high 3).
For Coastal Carolina, Jas Adams collected a team-high nine rebounds and Nicole Isaacs set a career high with six steals.
The Lady Flames will travel east on Route 460 on Saturday for a matinee at Longwood. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. inside Willett Hall as Liberty aims for its 14th straight victory over the Lancers (5-13, 2-7 Big South).
