Liberty University
1-3,0-0ASUN
Memphis
1-2,0-0AAC
Late 11-0 Run Keys Memphis' 72-67 Triumph Over Liberty
12/6/2020 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Liberty led Memphis 58-56 with less than four minutes remaining in Sunday's contest at Elma Roane Fieldhouse. The host Tigers then went on a decisive 11-0 run, propelling them to a 72-67 victory.
Liberty drops to 1-3 on the season and 0-3 on the road despite a career-high 30 points from Emily Lytle in a return to her hometown. However, the Lady Flames were undone by a rare off night on the glass, losing the rebounding battle by 10 (36-26).
Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu was a big reason for Memphis' rebounding success and the 1-2 Tigers' first win of the year. She scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds during the first-ever hardwood meeting between Memphis and Liberty.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Lytle – 30 points, 4-9 3FG, 4 rebounds, 4 steals; Ashtyn Baker – 12 points; Mya Berkman – 6 points, 10 rebounds.
Other Memphis Individuals: Madison Griggs – 16 points, 3-5 3FG; Aerial Wilson – 8 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists.
Key Team Stats: Memphis shot 48 percent (24-of-50) from the field, including 60.9 percent (14-of-23) after halftime. The Tigers got the foul line 20 more times than the Lady Flames, shooting 80 percent (20-of-25) to Liberty's 5-of-5 performance. Nearly half (30-of-63) of Liberty's field goal attempts came from beyond the three-point arc, but the Lady Flames shot only 26.7 percent (8-of-30). The game featured 11 ties and 11 lead changes, and neither team ever owned a double-digit lead.
Turning Point
After Lytle's steal and layup at the 3:56 mark put Liberty in front 58-56, the Lady Flames went 0-for-3 with a turnover on their next four possessions.
Conversely, Memphis scored on four consecutive offensive trips, capped off by back-to-back triples by Griggs and Wilson.
Wilson's free throw with 22 seconds to play capped off the aforementioned 11-0 run with the Tigers in front 67-58.
Game Summary
First Quarter
• Liberty raced out to a 9-1 advantage during the game's first 3:32 and led throughout the remainder of the opening period.
• The Lady Flames led 13-10 at the conclusion of a quarter where they held Memphis to 22.2 percent (2-of-9) shooting with nine turnovers.
Second Quarter
• A back-and-forth second quarter featured three ties and five lead changes. Fankam Mendjiadeu posted six points and five rebounds during the stanza, helping Memphis take a 27-25 halftime edge.
Third Quarter
• Memphis built a 39-33 lead when Jatyjia Jones fashioned a three-point play at the 7:02 mark of the third period.
• Led by 10 Baker points, Liberty scored 24 points and shot 73.3 percent (11-of-15) for the period, pulling ahead (49-48) on Kennedi Williams' driving layup during the closing seconds.
Fourth Quarter
• The Lady Flames knocked down three trifectas in the final 19 seconds, including a pair by Lytle, but ran out of time to complete an improbable comeback.
• Memphis played an exceptional fourth quarter to clinch its first win of the season, shooting 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the field (including two of its four triples for the game) and 80 percent (8-of-10) from the charity stripe while outrebounding Liberty, 11-3.
Notes and Nuggets
• Lytle's 30 points were the most by a Lady Flame since Jan. 20, 2018, when Keyen Green scored 30 against Campbell. It was her second 20-point game of the season and the 12th of her career, tying Lytle with Ginny Holloway, Ashley Rininger and Sharon Snodgrass for 10th place in program history for most 20-point games.
• Lytle was 2-of-2 from the free throw line, improving to 13-of-13 this season. She has now made 25 free throws in a row, dating back to last season. Jaymee Fisher-Davis hit a program-record 26 consecutive free throws between 2013-2015.
• Lytle, who also came up with a career-high four steals, became the 30th Lady Flame to score 800 career points.
• Baker scored 10 of her 12 points during the third quarter, reaching double figures for the third time in four games to begin her senior season. She grew up approximately 20 miles south of Memphis in Nesbit, Miss.
• After being limited to two points during her first three games as a Lady Flame, Alyssa Iverson tallied eight on Sunday.
• Mya Berkman's team-high 10 rebounds equaled her career high.
• The Lady Flames saw a seven-game December winning streak halted, which dated back to December 2018.
Up Next
The Lady Flames will return to Liberty Arena for their next two contests, beginning with a Wednesday matchup against Hampton, which will be making its 2020-21 season debut.
Hampton will be the first Big South team to visit Liberty since the Lady Flames departed the Big South Conference following the 2017-18 season. Liberty recorded an 83-59 victory at Hampton last season (Dec. 14, 2019) for its sixth consecutive win in the head-to-head series with the Lady Pirates.
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Liberty Arena)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LFSN Radio (90.9 FM The Light Lynchburg)
Tipoff: 7 p.m.
