Liberty University
1-0,0-0ASUN
Belmont Abbey
0-0,0-0Conference Carolinas
Hot Start Propels Liberty Past Belmont Abbey, 89-40
11/9/2021 10:38:53 PM | Women's Basketball
Coach Green Postgame Press Conference
Jordan Bailey Postgame Press Conference
Bridgette Rettstatt Postgame Press Conference
Liberty raced out to a 31-4 first-quarter lead and never looked back during Tuesday’s 2021-22 season opener against Belmont Abbey. The Lady Flames cruised to an 89-40 victory, improving to 13-0 at Liberty Arena.
The 1-0 Lady Flames, who have now won 18 straight home games overall, set a Liberty Arena record for most points in a women’s basketball game. They tipped off their season with a home win for the first time since 2009-10, when Liberty topped Winston-Salem State at the Vines Center.
Belmont Abbey, which is ranked No. 13 nationally in NCAA Division II, remains at 0-0 after classifying the contest as an exhibition. The Crusaders shot 30.4 percent (14-of-46) and committed 25 turnovers during their first matchup with Liberty since Dec. 8, 1987.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Bridgette Rettstatt – 13 points, 3-3 3FG; Emma Hess – 11 points, 3-5 3FG; Mya Berkman – 10 points, 7 rebounds; Bella Smuda – 8 points, 8 rebounds.
Belmont Abbey Individuals: Jo Snow – 8 points, 4 rebounds; Sydni Clawges – 6 points, 4 rebounds.
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 50.7 percent (36-of-71) from the field, knocking down a dozen three-pointers. The Lady Flames dominated the interior, defeating the Crusaders in rebounds (46-26), points in the paint (32-12) and second-chance points (21-5). Liberty racked up 51 bench points as 13 different players scored a point.
Turning Point
Liberty jumped out to a 15-2 lead before the game’s first media timeout, getting points from all five starters during that time. The Lady Flames’ advantage remained in double figures the rest of the evening.
Game Summary
First Quarter
- Liberty dominated the opening 10 minutes, outscoring Belmont Abbey 31-4. Nine different Lady Flames scored points, and Liberty’s defense held the Crusaders to 11.1 percent (1-of-9) from the field.
Second Quarter
- The Lady Flames’ advantage reached 38 (47-9) before Belmont Abbey scored seven straight points to cut its halftime deficit to 47-16. It was Liberty’s largest halftime lead since Dec. 16, 2017, when the Lady Flames led Shippensburg 50-19 at the intermission.
- Liberty’s first-half attack was paced by the starting post duo of Mya Berkman (10 points, 5-5 FG) and Bridgette Rettstatt (9 points, 3-3 3FG).
Third Quarter
- An 11-0 run late in the third period extended the Lady Flames’ lead to 43 (71-28) before Liberty took a 71-31 advantage into the final 10 minutes of play.
Fourth Quarter
- Reserves scored all 18 of Liberty’s points during the final period as the Lady Flames bolstered their lead to 49 points. It was Liberty’s largest margin of victory since a 105-43 triumph over Shippensburg on Dec. 16, 2017.
Notes and Nuggets
- Rettstatt’s game-high 13 points marked her third straight season opener scoring in double figures. She also led the Lady Flames in scoring for their second consecutive home opener at Liberty Arena.
- Rettstatt’s three triples set a new career high.
- Freshmen scored 19 points for the Lady Flames, including 11 by Emma Hess, the lone Liberty player to see more than 20 minutes of playing time.
- Playing her first game in 689 days after transferring from Old Dominion, Jordan Bailey tallied a career-high nine points.
- Prior to Tuesday, Liberty’s most points scored at Liberty Arena was 88 during a Jan. 2, 2021 win over Lipscomb.
- The Lady Flames improved to 128-2 under Carey Green when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
- Green moved closer to a milestone, as he is now 496-203 in 23 seasons at Liberty.
- Liberty’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are now a combined 26-0 at Liberty Arena.
- A crowd of 923 took in Tuesday’s contest, the first basketball game to be played at Liberty Arena at full capacity.
Up Next
Liberty will continue its four-game season-opening homestand Saturday at 7 p.m., when MAC preseason favorite Ohio (0-1) visits Liberty Arena. The Bobcats, who topped the Lady Flames 76-72 in the 2020-21 season opener, will be the first MAC team to visit Lynchburg in 25 years.
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