WBB Game Day Central: UNC Asheville
2/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Game Day Central Page
Liberty's Women's Basketball Game Notes
Game Time:
2 p.m.
Video Streaming Coverage:
Big South Network
Radio Coverage:
Liberty Flames Sports Network – Radio
WQLU 90.9 FM The Light
Play-By-Play Broadcaster: Jamie Hall
Today's Game
Big South co-leaders Liberty (15-8, 12-2 Big South) and UNC Asheville (19-4, 12-2 Big South) will square off Saturday at 2 p.m. inside the Bulldogs' Kimmel Arena. Liberty will attempt to complete a regular-season sweep of Asheville while playing at the site of the 2016 Big South Women's Basketball Championship.
The "Starting Five" - Liberty's Top Storylines
1) Liberty has won eight games in a row and is 12-1 in its last 13 contests, moving into a tie with UNC Asheville for first place in the Big South standings. The Bulldogs are also playing well of late, having won six straight games and eight of their last nine outings.
2) Asheville has been tough to beat at home this season, going 9-1 at Kimmel Arena. Liberty is 3-1 at Kimmel Arena since the facility opened for the 2011-12 season.
3) Liberty will try to slow down Asheville's offense, which averages a Big South-best 70.7 ppg. The Lady Flames have held 13 straight opponents below the 70-point mark, including a 53-point effort by the Bulldogs on Jan. 4.
4) Reigning Big South Player of the Week Katelyn Adams has recorded three straight double-doubles. She has helped Liberty outrebound 10 consecutive opponents, and the Lady Flames boast a +16.4 rebound margin during their eight-game winning streak.
5) Adams' fellow post players Ashley Rininger and Catherine Kearney have both experienced past success against Asheville. Rininger is averaging 21.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg during her last two visits to Kimmel Arena. With Rininger sidelined, Kearney shot 11-of-12 from the field against Asheville on Jan. 4, totaling 22 points and nine rebounds.
Liberty vs. UNC Asheville at a Glance
Series History
Series Record: Liberty leads, 52-8.
Current Streak: Liberty has won five consecutive meetings.
Series Record at Asheville: Liberty leads, 20-6.
Current Streak at Asheville: Liberty won the most recent meeting.
Last Meeting Overall: Liberty 71, Asheville 53 (Jan. 4, 2016 at Liberty)
Last Meeting at Asheville: Liberty 67, Asheville 55 (Dec. 30, 2014)
Asheville's Last Series Victory: Asheville 83, Liberty 80 (OT) (Jan. 18, 2014 at Ashe.)
Asheville's Last Series Victory at Home: Same
Coaching Matchup
Liberty Head Coach: Carey Green
Overall Record (Seasons): 398-136 (17th Season)
Record at Liberty (Seasons): Same
Record vs. UNC Asheville: 37-2
UNC Asheville Head Coach: Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick
Overall Record (Seasons): 41-74 (Fourth Season)
Record at UNC Asheville (Seasons): Same
Record vs. Liberty: 1-7
Notes and Anecdotes
• Liberty handed Asheville its first Big South loss of the year, 71-53, Jan. 4 at the Vines Center. Led by Catherine Kearney's 22 points, the Lady Flames raced out to a 32-14 halftime advantage and never looked back. Chatori Major paced the Bulldogs with 16 points.
• Liberty and Asheville are tied for first place in the Big South standings at 12-2 and are the two hottest teams in the conference. The Lady Flames have won eight games in a row, while the Bulldogs enter Saturday's contest on a six-game winning streak.
• Asheville has recorded 10+ Big South victories in a season for the first time. Meanwhile, a win on Saturday would give the Bulldogs their first 20-win season since Asheville's 2006-07 Big South Championship-winning team went 21-12.
• Asheville is 9-1 at Kimmel Arena, with its lone loss coming to Gardner-Webb on Jan. 16. Liberty is 3-1 at Kimmel Arena since the facility opened in 2011-12.
• Asheville leads the Big South in scoring at 70.7 ppg. Liberty has held 13 straight opponents below the 70-point mark, since Duke defeated the Lady Flames by a 79-41 count on Dec. 17.
• Liberty will return to Kimmel Arena in less than a month, when the facility plays host to the 2016 Big South Women's Basketball Championship, March 10-13. The Lady Flames won the most recent Big South Championship in Asheville, 2008 in the Justice Center.
On This Date
Liberty is just 6-8 all-time on Feb. 13, but has won five of its last six Feb. 13 contests.
Eight in a Row
The Lady Flames have won eight straight games, marking their longest winning streak of the season. Rebounding and defense have fueled the streak.
• Led by Katelyn Adams' 10.6 rpg, Liberty owns a +16.4 rebound margin during the streak.
• The Lady Flames' opponents are shooting 34.6 percent from the field and scoring just 55.2 ppg.
Big-Time Accomplishments from the Big 3
Katelyn Adams is the reigning Big South Player of the Week, giving each member of Liberty's "Big 3" a Big South Player of the Week honor this season. Ashley Rininger won the award on Nov. 17 and Catherine Kearney was recognized on Jan. 25.
• Rininger earned an award of her own on Thursday, as she was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team for the second straight season.
• The trio has combined for 11 double-doubles this season, and they are combining for 38.3 ppg and 22.0 rpg since Rininger returned from injury on Jan. 30.
Two of a Kind
The Liberty men's basketball team has won six games in a row, making Liberty and New Mexico State the only NCAA Division I schools whose men's and women's basketball teams are both currently on winning streaks of six games or longer, through games played on Feb. 10.
A Look Back at the Lady Flames' 67-55 Victory Over Campbell
• Reigning Big South Player of the Week Katelyn Adams' third straight double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) and Catherine Kearney's clutch baskets (8 of her team-high 14 points came in the fourth quarter) were key to Liberty's 67-55 victory over Campbell, Tuesday evening at the Vines Center.
• Liberty dominated the rebounding category (45-22), held Campbell's offense in check (37.7 percent from the field, 23-of-61) and shot the ball efficiently.
• The Lady Flames made 51.1 percent (24-of-47) of their field goal attempts for the game, including 65 percent (13-of-20) after halftime.
• Foul shooting was another key to Liberty's 12th victory in its last 13 outings. The Lady Flames made 15-of-22 free throws for 68.2 percent, while Campbell was just 6-of-14 for 42.9 percent.
• Liberty outrebounded its 10th consecutive opponent and recorded a 36-26 edge in points in the paint.
• Kearney shot 6-of-7 from the field while leading all players with her 14 points. She also added nine rebounds.
• Adams' double-double gives her five for the season and 14 for her career.
Comeback Kids
Liberty has won the last three times it has trailed at halftime, improving to 4-8 when trailing at halftime this season.
The Lady Flames have recovered from a deficit of eight points or greater three times in the last seven games (versus Coastal Carolina, Longwood and Charleston Southern).
Winning the Battle of the Boards
Liberty has outrebounded 19 of 23 opponents this season, including 10 in a row. The Lady Flames have climbed to No. 13 nationally, through games of Feb. 10.
The Container is Half Full
The Lady Flames are 104-1 under head coach Carey Green when making at least 50 percent of their field goals, including 4-0 this season. Liberty has won the last 31 times it has shot 50 percent or better, since an 83-77 loss to Kentucky in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship (March 20, 2010).
The Container is Half Empty
Liberty had held 69 straight opponents below 50 percent shooting from the field before No. 16/15 California shot 51.9 percent (28-of-54) against the Lady Flames on Nov. 28 in Las Vegas. Most recently, the Lady Flames' last 14 foes have each been held below the 50 percent mark.
Player Trends
#1 Mickayla Sanders
• Scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds during a Jan. 4 victory over UNC Asheville
• Has hit a three-pointer in 11 straight games and needs two triples to become the 11th Lady Flame with 100 career three-pointers made
#2 Candice Leatherwood
• Leatherwood has recorded the most free throw attempts among the Lady Flames during the final 5:00 of games this season, going 19-of-28 for 67.9 percent in those situations.
#3 Sadalia Ellis
• Has made 14 of her 16 free throw attempts (87.5 percent) during the last three games
#10 Jaymee Fisher-Davis
• Has made multiple three-pointers in 11 of 23 games this season
• Has hit 34 of her last 36 free throw attempts, boosting her career free throw percentage to 88.4
#21 Mikal Johnson
• Tallied her 500th collegiate point during Tuesday's victory over Campbell
#23 Brooke Alexander
• Dished out a season-high six assists during the Jan. 4 contest against UNC Asheville
• Averaging 5.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.8 apg and a team-high 1.6 spg since joining the starting lineup, helping Liberty go 8-0 in those games
• Has recorded a 33-to-19 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last 11 games
#34 Katelyn Adams
• Earned her first career Big South Player of the Week award on Feb. 8
• Averaging 9.1 ppg and 11.3 rpg over her last seven contests
• Has recorded three straight double-doubles and four in her last six games, giving Adams five double-doubles for the season and 14 for her career
• Adams has tallied six or more rebounds in 19 of 23 games in 2015-16, including 10 10+-rebound efforts. She leads the team in rebounding and ranks third in the Big South.
• Has appeared in 121 consecutive games to start her collegiate career
#44 Catherine Kearney
• Made 11-of-12 field goals on Jan. 4 against UNC Asheville, tying her career high of 22 points and adding nine rebounds
• Has hit 29 of her last 31 free throw attempts (93.5 percent), including her last 13 in a row
#55 Ashley Rininger
• Named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team for the second consecutive season
• Averaging 21.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg during her last two games at Kimmel Arena
• Has totaled 38 points, 20 rebounds and 4 blocks in 65 minutes since returning from injury on Jan. 30, including a game-high 16 points against Radford on Sunday