Liberty University
12-3,8-0ASUN
Jacksonville
2-9,0-6ASUN
Lady Flames Wrap Up Sweep of Jacksonville on Snowy Sunday
1/31/2021 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Coach Green Postgame Press Conference
Bella Smuda Postgame Press Conference
On a Sunday afternoon when snow was falling outside Liberty Arena, it took a while for Liberty's shots to start falling through the hoops indoors. However, the Lady Flames used a familiar formula of rebounding and defense to fuel a 78-52 victory and ASUN series sweep of Jacksonville.
With its 11th straight victory, Liberty improves to 12-3 overall and reaches the halfway mark of ASUN Conference play at 8-0. The Lady Flames and FGCU (6-0) are the only remaining unbeaten teams in conference play.
Liberty held Jacksonville (2-9, 0-6 ASUN) to 34.5 percent (20-of-58) shooting while setting season highs for rebound margin (+26), second-chance points (30) and bench points (43). The trio of Bridgette Rettstatt (16 points, 7 rebounds), Bella Smuda (career-high 15 points, career-high 12 rebounds) and Kennedi Williams (7 assists) fueled the Liberty reserves' successful afternoon.
Despite a game-high 17 points from freshman Khalela Hayes, Jacksonville drops its sixth straight game overall and its sixth consecutive head-to-head meeting with the Lady Flames. The Dolphins never held the lead during the two-game weekend series, which opened with a 78-46 Liberty triumph on Saturday.
Box Score Highlights
Other Liberty Individuals: Makaela Kestner – 11 points, 6 rebounds; Emily Lytle – 10 points.
Jacksonville Individuals: Hayes – 17 points, 6 rebounds; Erin Wilson – 13 points, 4 steals.
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the game at 44.3 percent (27-of-61) from the field, including 57.7 percent (15-of-26) after halftime. The Lady Flames knocked down 8-of-16 three-pointers for 50 percent. Liberty tracked down 21 offensive rebounds, including eight by Smuda. Jacksonville shot just 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from the foul line for the game.
Turning Point
DeShari Graham's three-pointer with 4:24 to play in the third quarter cut Liberty's advantage to just eight at 47-39. The Lady Flames then broke the game open with a 15-1 run which stretched into the fourth quarter.
Smuda scored eight points during the run, which ended with Liberty's lead standing at 62-40 following Rettstatt's free throw with 8:04 left in the contest.
Game Summary
First Quarter
• Liberty knocked down four three-pointers during the game's first 5:26, taking a 12-4 lead on Nenna Lindstrom's corner triple.
• However, the Lady Flames did not make another field goal during the remainder of the quarter. Jacksonville closed the stanza with a 7-0 run, getting four straight Hayes points to close to within 15-13.
Second Quarter
• Liberty's drought at the offensive end extended 2:35 into the second period, enabling Jacksonville to knot the game at 15-all on Tamia Stallings' contested layup.
• However, the Lady Flames did not relinquish the lead. They took a 34-23 advantage and some momentum into the locker room after scoring six unanswered points in the last 49 seconds, capped off by Smuda's putback as time expired.
• Both teams struggled shooting the basketball during the first half, as Liberty shot 34.3 percent (12-of-35) and Jacksonville hit 33.3 percent (9-of-27) of its attempts. The Lady Flames dominated the rebound category before halftime (31-11), with 15 rebounds leading to 18 second-chance points.
Third Quarter
• Mya Berkman scored her first four points of the game during the first two minutes of the second half, including a fast break layup which bolstered Liberty's lead to 43-27.
• Hayes countered with seven points during a 9-1 Jacksonville run, which brought the Dolphins to within eight on the first of two occasions at 44-36.
• Liberty then rebuilt a 15-point cushion (55-40) heading to the final period.
Fourth Quarter
• The final period turned out to be Liberty's highest scoring of the day (23 points), with non-starters accounting for all of the points. The post duo of Rettstatt and Smuda combined for 15 fourth-quarter points with Williams passing out five assists.
Notes and Nuggets
• Smuda recorded her first collegiate double-double and the first by a Liberty freshman since March 10, 2017 (Keyen Green). Smuda's 12 rebounds broke the Liberty Arena single-game record of 11, which had been set by teammate Mya Berkman on Jan. 17 against North Alabama.
• During the two-game weekend series, Smuda totaled 27 points and 20 rebounds in 39 minutes of playing time.
• Rettstatt scored in double figures for the sixth time in seven career meetings with Jacksonville in her 100th career appearance.
• Kestner equaled a career high with her 11 points.
• Lytle scored in double figures for the 50th time in 78 career games as a Lady Flame and pushed her career total to 969 points. She and Ashtyn Baker (979 points) are on the verge of becoming the 17th and 18th 1,000-point scorers in program history.
• Liberty's +26 rebound margin was its largest since the Lady Flames outrebounded Bethune-Cookman by 27 boards during the 2018-19 season opener on Nov. 9, 2018.
• All 11 victories during Liberty's current winning streak have come by 10 or more points. This is the team's longest such streak since the Lady Flames reeled off 11 straight double-digit triumphs spanning Jan. 15-Feb. 23, 2008.
• The Lady Flames are now 9-0 at Liberty Arena and have won 14 straight home games, dating back to last season. Liberty has also posted 14 straight ASUN Conference wins and 16 consecutive victories over ASUN foes.
• Liberty wrapped up an 8-0 month of January on Sunday, the Lady Flames' first unbeaten January since they went 8-0 in January 2009.
Up Next
Liberty is currently scheduled to play at North Florida Saturday and Sunday, with tipoff slated for 2 p.m. each afternoon at UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. However, the ASUN Conference schedule is subject to change.
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