Liberty University
10-7,4-2ASUN
Stetson
8-11,2-4ASUN
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stetson | 10 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 50 |
| Liberty | 16 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 77 |
Hot-Shooting Liberty Races Past Stetson, 77-50
1/19/2023 9:58:36 PM | Women's Basketball
Liberty set season highs for field goal percentage (60.8) and three-pointers (11) on its way to an impressive 77-50 triumph over Stetson, Thursday evening at Liberty Arena.
The Lady Flames boost their record to 10-7 overall and 4-2 in ASUN play with their seventh straight head-to-head win over Stetson and their sixth consecutive home triumph. The Hatters never held the lead, and Liberty still has not trailed at home since the Nov. 7 season-opening loss to Richmond.
The Hatters (8-11, 2-4 ASUN) got 15 points apiece from Jamiya Turner and Khamya McNeal. But they shot just 31 percent (18-of-58) as a team, including 20 percent (3-of-15) from beyond the three-point line. Stetson falls to 1-5 on the road this season, having lost all three of its ASUN contests away from DeLand.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Mya Berkman – 12 points, 5 rebounds, 6-6 FG; Emma Hess – 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists; Audrey Clark – 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4-6 3FG; Jordan Hodges – 8 points; Kennedi Williams – 5 points, 5 assists.
Stetson Individuals: Turner – 15 points, 5 rebounds; McNeal – 15 points, 4-4 FT; Mali Morgan-Elliott – 8 points, 4 rebounds.
Key Team Stats: Liberty assisted on 20 of its 31 made field goals and totaled all 13 of the game’s fast break points. The Lady Flames owned the advantage in rebounding (33-28) and bench points (38-25). Stetson was efficient at the foul line, hitting 11-of-12 for 91.7 percent. Meanwhile, the Lady Flames got to the charity stripe a season-low seven times, connecting on four for 57.1 percent.
Turning Point
Despite Liberty’s hot shooting, Stetson was within eight (41-33) after a McNeal layup with 4:12 to go in the third quarter.
The Lady Flames then went on a 10-0 run over the next 1:50. Jordan Bailey scored five of the points, and Pien Steenbergen’s triple from the wing at the 2:22 mark made it 51-33, Liberty.
Liberty’s lead remained at 16 points or more the rest of the night.
Game Summary
First Quarter
- Liberty led 16-10 after shooting 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from the field during the opening period, aided by 10 points in the paint.
- Stetson made only 23.1 percent (3-of-13) of its first-quarter field goals. But all three makes were of the three-point variety, enabling the Hatters to keep it close.
 Second Quarter
- The Lady Flames opened up some breathing room with a 10-0 second-quarter run which featured three-pointers by Dee Brown and Audrey Clark.
- Jamiya Turner scored six points during the stanza for the Hatters, including four straight which cut the visitors’ halftime deficit to 33-22.
- Emma Hess scored 10 first-half points for the Lady Flames, who shot 58.3 percent (14-of-24).
 Third Quarter
- The Lady Flames took a 54-37 lead to the final period after shooting a scorching 69.2 percent (9-of-13) during the third and going on the aforementioned 10-0 run.
Fourth Quarter
- Audrey Clark knocked down three triples in the final period, as Liberty went 5-of-6 from long range during a 23-point stanza.
- Liberty led by as many as 29 on its way to a 27-point victory, the Lady Flames’ largest in ASUN play this season.
Notes and Nuggets
- The nation’s leader in field goal percentage entering the game, Berkman made all six of her field goals while scoring in double figures for the eighth straight contest. She passed Kristal Tharp and Emily Lytle on Liberty’s all-time scoring list in the process, finishing the evening in 13th place in program history with 1,163 career points.
- Hess’ 12 points marked her best scoring output in conference play. She had totaled only 17 markers in Liberty’s first five ASUN tilts. Hess also matched her career high of three assists.
- Clark hit a career-high four triples while scoring a season-high 12 points, her most since a career-best 14-point effort in Liberty’s ASUN semifinal victory at North Alabama on March 11, 2020.
- Williams’ game-high five assists gave the point guard her third consecutive outing with 5+ assists and her seventh in the last eight.
- Pien Steenbergen continued her proficient run of three-point shooting. She hit two of her three tries from beyond the arc, improving to 15-of-26 (57.7 percent) over the last nine games.
- Liberty now leads the all-time series with Stetson, 7-3.
- The Lady Flames are 34-3 all-time at Liberty Arena, where they drew a season-high 983 fans on Thursday. Liberty has faced an ASUN opponent at the facility 20 times, going 19-1 in those contests.
- Liberty’s 77 points were the most either team has ever scored in the nine Liberty-Stetson matchups as ASUN foes.
- The Lady Flames shot over 60 percent for the first time since Jan. 22, 2022 at Central Arkansas and improved to 142-3 under Carey Green (6-0 this season) when making at least half of their field goal attempts.
Up Next
The Lady Flames will play host to ASUN leader FGCU (18-2, 6-0 ASUN) Saturday at 7 p.m. inside Liberty Arena to complete the regular-season series with the Eagles. FGCU topped Liberty 70-53 on Jan. 2 in Fort Myers in both teams’ conference opener.
Featured in Main Photo: #0 Jordan Hodges
