Liberty University
5-5,0-0ASUN
Washington
8-2,1-0Pac-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 9 | 26 | 13 | 18 | 66 |
| Washington | 16 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 54 |
Liberty Shoots Past Washington, 66-54, for 1st Pac-12 Win
12/18/2022 6:13:45 PM | Women's Basketball
After trailing Washington by 13 points during the second quarter of Sunday’s Husky Classic matinee at Alaska Airlines Arena, Liberty used some hot shooting (9 three-pointers) and aggressive defense (16 forced turnovers) to turn things around. The Lady Flames’ 66-54 victory over the Huskies marked their first-ever triumph over a Pac-12 foe.
Liberty evens its record at 5-5 after winning for the third time in its last four outings. Jordan Bailey matched her career high of 19 points to lead all scorers, including a three-pointer which capped off a pivotal 24-7 run to end the first half.
The Lady Flames are now 1-1 all-time against Washington and 1-4 against the Pac-12, giving them at least one victory against each of the Power Five conferences in program history.
Washington drops to 8-2 on the season after seeing its eight-game home winning streak halted. While the Lady Flames were shooting 50 percent (9-of-18) from beyond the arc, the host Huskies shot just 14.3 percent (4-of-28) from long range in losing their first home tilt since Feb. 18 vs. Arizona.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Bailey – 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3-7 3FG; Mya Berkman – 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks; Emma Hess – 13 points, 3 assists, 3-7 3FG; Dee Brown – 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals; Kennedi Williams – 3 points, 9 assists, 4 steals.
Washington Individuals: Haley Van Dyke – 13 points, 3 rebounds; Hannah Stines – 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals; Dalayah Daniels – 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks; Jayda Noble – 7 points, 8 rebounds.
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 48 percent (24-of-50) from the field while holding the Huskies to 33.9 percent (20-of-59). The Lady Flames scored 22 points off Washington’s 16 turnovers. Liberty posted 16 assists on 24 made field goals. Washington had the upper hand in rebounding (36-29) and points in the paint (30-20).
Turning Point
Darcy Rees’ jumper, 5:36 before halftime, ended an 8-2 Washington run and gave the Huskies their largest lead of the afternoon at 24-11.
Liberty then outscored the Huskies 24-7 during the remainder of the half, seizing the lead for good.
The Lady Flames knocked down six triples over the course of the surge, including three by Emma Hess.
Liberty hit its final seven field goal attempts of the half, including Jordan Bailey’s triple at the halftime buzzer which sent the Lady Flames into the intermission owning a 35-31 lead. The Lady Flames never relinquished the lead, which ballooned as large as 17 during the fourth quarter.
Game Summary
First Quarter
- Washington never trailed during the first quarter and extended to a 16-9 advantage after hitting two triples during the final minute.
- Liberty shot just 3-of-10 for the stanza and was outrebounded by an 11-4 count.
Second Quarter
- Liberty outscored Washington, 26-15, during the pivotal second period, aided by Emma Hess’ 13 points. The Lady Flames shot 58.8 percent (10-of-17) from the field and 66.7 percent (6-of-9) from three-point range for the stanza.
Third Quarter
- The Huskies’ Jayda Noble posted a three-point play to open the second half. However, her team shot just 2-of-15 during the remainder of the stanza.
- Bailey single-handedly outscored Washington 9-8 during the third, helping Liberty take a nine-point lead (48-39) to the final period.
Fourth Quarter
- Liberty held the Huskies without a made field goal for the first 6:37 of the fourth quarter, enabling the Lady Flames to build their largest lead of the game (61-44) on a Mya Berkman layup with 4:32 left.
- Washington made a late comeback attempt, and Haley Van Dyke’s triple at the 1:28 mark cut the home team’s deficit to 62-54 following a 10-1 run.
- But Dee Brown was able to go four-for-four at the foul line to seal the Lady Flames’ biggest win of the 2022-23 season to date.
Notes and Nuggets
- Bailey’s game-high 19 points equaled her career high, set on Nov. 26 against East Carolina. She has now reached double figures in three consecutive games, matching the longest streak of her career.
- Berkman’s 14 points give her 1,061 for her career, moving her past Cynthia Thomson and into 19th place on Liberty’s all-time scoring list. She also matched her career high of two blocked shots.
- Hess scored all 13 of her points during the final 5:23 of the first half, reaching double digits for the third time this season and the fifth time in her career. Hess, who had been held to six total points and zero triples during her last two outings, has now made 50 three-pointers in her first 40 collegiate games.
- Brown’s nine points were her most since tallying a dozen during the Nov. 7 season opener against Richmond. She made all four of her free throws, extending her streak to 13 in a row at the charity stripe.
- Williams set career highs for both assists (9) and steals (4). Her nine assists were the most by a Lady Flame since Ria Gulley tallied nine assists at Norfolk State on Nov. 5, 2019.
- The 13-point deficit Liberty overcame to win marked their largest comeback since Feb. 21, 2021. That day, the Lady Flames trailed Shepherd by 15 points (27-12) before rallying for a 73-65 win.
- Sunday’s victory marked Liberty’s first-ever win in the state of Washington.
- Liberty is now 3-1 this December and has won 20 of its last 22 December contests overall.
- The Lady Flames have now shot 50 percent from three-point range in each of their last two outings, after hitting 10-of-20 triples during Thursday’s 75-48 home victory over Limestone.
Up Next
The Lady Flames will wrap up their stay at the Husky Classic on Monday with their final non-conference game of the regular season. Liberty will match up with SIUE (1-8) for the first time in program history, with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m. Eastern at Alaska Airlines Arena.
Featured in Main Photo: #23 Emma Hess
