Liberty University
15-9, 12-3BSC
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UNC Asheville
20-4, 13-2BSC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 14 | 8 | 11 | 18 | 51 |
| UNC Asheville | 14 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 56 |
Asheville Holds Off Liberty for Sole Possession of 1st
2/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Liberty cut a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to one during Saturday's game at Kimmel Arena, but UNC Asheville held on for a 56-51 victory, claiming sole possession of first place in the Big South standings.
Asheville led 49-35 with 8:14 remaining in the fourth quarter before Liberty fashioned a 13-0 run. Ashley Rininger's reverse layup made it a one-point game (49-48) at the 2:15 mark. However, the Lady Flames did not score again until the 12.6-second mark, while key hoops by Khaila Webb and Paige Love helped the Bulldogs seal the victory.
Liberty falls to 15-9 overall and 12-3 in Big South play after seeing its eight-game winning streak halted. Catherine Kearney (11 points, 9 rebounds) and Katelyn Adams (11 points, 8 rebounds) led the way for the Lady Flames, who shot just 35.6 percent (21-of-59) from the field and 11.1 percent (2-of-18) from beyond the three-point arc.
Asheville is now 20-4 overall and 13-2 in the Big South after its seventh consecutive win clinched its first 20-win season since 2006-07. Sonora Dengokl (10 points) was one of seven Bulldogs who scored between six and 10 points.
Kearney scored six points during a back-and-forth opening quarter, which ended with the two teams tied, 14-14. Liberty led by as many as six points (10-4) early on before the Bulldogs rallied.
Dengokl scored six points within a 10-0 Asheville run during the second quarter, giving the home team a 27-18 lead 2:19 before halftime. KK Barbour came off the bench to tally four quick points for the Lady Flames, but the Bulldogs took a 29-22 lead into the intermission.
Asheville held Liberty to 32.3 percent (10-of-31) field goal shooting before halftime, including 0-of-8 from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs made all eight of their free throw attempts during the first 20 minutes.
Liberty and Asheville exchanged 7-0 runs during the first half of the third quarter, with the Lady Flames pulling within two (31-29) before the Bulldogs built another nine-point (38-29) advantage at the 5:17 mark. Asheville extended to a 12-point lead (45-33) at the end of the third quarter, thanks to Jessica Wall's long shot clock buzzer-beating three-pointer.
The Bulldogs extended to a pair of 14-point advantages (47-33 and 49-35) during the first two minutes of the final quarter, before the Lady Flames' furious comeback attempt. Asheville made three-of-four free throw attempts in the final 11.5 seconds, wrapping up a 13-of-16 (81.3 percent) performance from the charity stripe for the game and improving to 10-1 at home this season.
Liberty only got to the foul line nine times on the day, with seven of those attempts coming during the fourth quarter. The Lady Flames made seven-of-nine tries for 77.8 percent.
Asheville finished at 38.5 percent (20-of-52) from the field and 20 percent (3-of-15) from three-point range.
Liberty outrebounded its 11th straight opponent, 40-36, and also enjoyed slight advantages in points in the paint (32-24) and second-chance points (14-11).
Asheville more than doubled up the Lady Flames in bench points (23-10) and committed only eight turnovers.
Kearney made three-of-four free throws but saw her consecutive free throw streak end at 15 in a row.
Nine of Adams' 11 points came after halftime, while Sadalia Ellis chipped in eight points for the Lady Flames.
K.J. Weaver, who missed the first Liberty-Asheville contest this season due to injury, pulled down a team-high nine rebounds for the Bulldogs.
Liberty will return home to face Coastal Carolina next Saturday (Feb. 20) at 4 p.m. The Lady Flames will aim for their 46th consecutive win over the Chanticleers (8-15, 3-11 Big South).
