Friday, November 10
Nacogdoches, Texas
7:30 PM ET/6:30 PM CT
Liberty University
2-0,0-0CUSA
84
at
81
Stephen F. Austin
1-1,0-0WAC
1
2
3
4
OT 1
F
Liberty
16
13
25
17
13
84
SFA
11
23
22
15
10
81
Liberty Pulls Out 84-81 OT Win at Stephen F. Austin
11/10/2023 11:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – A back-and-forth battle between 2023 WNIT qualifiers saw 15 lead changes and 10 ties, Friday evening at William R. Johnson Coliseum. In the end, Asia Boone's layup off a steal with 15.9 seconds left in overtime put Liberty on top for good in an 84-81 victory at Stephen F. Austin.
One of six double-digit scorers for the 2-0 Lady Flames, Boone scored seven of her 13 points during the extra session. Liberty improves to 4-0 all-time against WAC opponents with its eighth consecutive win when playing overtime.
Stephen F. Austin, which led by as many as nine in the second half, sees its record even up at 1-1 on the young season. The Ladyjacks lost despite a 23-point effort from center Kurstyn Harden, which saw her shoot 13-of-13 at the free throw line.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Jordan Bailey – 18 points, 7 rebounds; Bella Smuda – 14 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists; Asia Boone – 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals; Emma Hess – 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3-8 3FG; Elisabeth Aegisdottir – 12 points, 2 blocks; Jordan Hodges – 11 points, 5 assists, 3 steals.
Other Stephen F. Austin Individuals: Kyla Deck – 15 points, 5 steals, 4 assists; Zoe Nelson – 13 points; Tyler McCliment-Call – 12 points, 4-11 3FG; Destini Lombard – 11 points, 5 assists, 3 steals.
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 44.3 percent (31-of-70) from the field to SFA's 40 percent (24-of-60). The host Ladyjacks finished at 80 percent (24-of-30) from the foul line, while Liberty hit 16-of-21 for 76.2 percent. Liberty enjoyed significant advantages in rebounds (46-32) and points in the paint (44-26) and recorded all five of the game's blocked shots. SFA scored 20 points off Liberty's 19 turnovers.
Turning Point
Trailing 81-80 with less than 30 seconds remaining, Liberty forced a turnover as Elisabeth Aegisdottir knocked the ball loose at the top of the key. Jordan Hodges quickly scooped up the loose ball and heaved it downcourt to a streaking Boone, whose driving right-handed layup with 15.9 ticks remaining gave the visitors a lead they did not relinquish.
Stephen F. Austin's Kyla Deck misfired from close range on her team's possession, and then Liberty's Jordan Bailey closed out the scoring with two free throws at the 3.2-second mark.
Game Summary
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Overtime
Notes and Nuggets
Up Next
The Lady Flames will remain in the Lone Star State for a Sunday matinee at No. 13 Texas (1-0). The first-ever hardwood meeting between the Lady Flames and Longhorns is slated for a 3 p.m. Eastern tipoff at the Moody Center in Austin.
One of six double-digit scorers for the 2-0 Lady Flames, Boone scored seven of her 13 points during the extra session. Liberty improves to 4-0 all-time against WAC opponents with its eighth consecutive win when playing overtime.
Stephen F. Austin, which led by as many as nine in the second half, sees its record even up at 1-1 on the young season. The Ladyjacks lost despite a 23-point effort from center Kurstyn Harden, which saw her shoot 13-of-13 at the free throw line.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Jordan Bailey – 18 points, 7 rebounds; Bella Smuda – 14 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists; Asia Boone – 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals; Emma Hess – 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3-8 3FG; Elisabeth Aegisdottir – 12 points, 2 blocks; Jordan Hodges – 11 points, 5 assists, 3 steals.
Other Stephen F. Austin Individuals: Kyla Deck – 15 points, 5 steals, 4 assists; Zoe Nelson – 13 points; Tyler McCliment-Call – 12 points, 4-11 3FG; Destini Lombard – 11 points, 5 assists, 3 steals.
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 44.3 percent (31-of-70) from the field to SFA's 40 percent (24-of-60). The host Ladyjacks finished at 80 percent (24-of-30) from the foul line, while Liberty hit 16-of-21 for 76.2 percent. Liberty enjoyed significant advantages in rebounds (46-32) and points in the paint (44-26) and recorded all five of the game's blocked shots. SFA scored 20 points off Liberty's 19 turnovers.
Turning Point
Trailing 81-80 with less than 30 seconds remaining, Liberty forced a turnover as Elisabeth Aegisdottir knocked the ball loose at the top of the key. Jordan Hodges quickly scooped up the loose ball and heaved it downcourt to a streaking Boone, whose driving right-handed layup with 15.9 ticks remaining gave the visitors a lead they did not relinquish.
Stephen F. Austin's Kyla Deck misfired from close range on her team's possession, and then Liberty's Jordan Bailey closed out the scoring with two free throws at the 3.2-second mark.
Here's the sequence which put the Lady Flames on top for good in an 84-81 OT win at Stephen F. Austin! pic.twitter.com/Z1UUgZgrug
— Liberty Women's Basketball (@LibertyWBB) November 11, 2023
Game Summary
First Quarter
- Liberty emerged from a back-and-forth opening period with a 16-11 advantage, holding the Ladyjacks scoreless for the stanza's final 5:14.
- Jordan Bailey (8 points) and Jordan Hodges (6 points) led the Lady Flames, who scored 14 points in the paint in the first quarter.
Second Quarter
- SFA knocked down five triples during the second quarter, including a pair during an 8-0 run which sent the home team into the intermission with a 34-29 edge.
- Bella Smuda led all players in both points (12) and rebounds (5) prior to halftime, but SFA hit six three-pointers to Liberty's zero.
Third Quarter
- The Ladyjacks scored six of the second half's first eight points, taking their largest advantage of the night (40-31) on Destini Lombard's fast break layup at the 7:09 mark.
- Held scoreless in the first half, Emma Hess hit three triples during the next 3:09, helping the Lady Flames pull within two (56-54) by the end of the period.
Fourth Quarter
- Liberty built a 66-59 lead on an Elisabeth Aegisdottir layup off a nice feed from Hodges with just 3:52 left.
- But SFA countered with eight straight points, producing the first of four lead changes in the final 2:07 of regulation.
- Kyla Deck split a pair of free throws at the 23 second mark to tie it at 71-all, and the score remained that way heading to OT.
Overtime
- Overtime featured six final lead changes, culminating with the one which put Liberty ahead after Boone's layup. That wrapped up a stretch of seven straight Lady Flames points scored by Boone over the final 2:20.
Notes and Nuggets
- Bailey, who finished just one point shy of her career high, is now averaging 14.7 ppg in three career meetings with WAC opponents.
- After posting two double-doubles in her first 93 games, Smuda has opened her 2023-24 campaign with back-to-back double-doubles. Her four assists set a career high.
- All 13 of Hess's points came after halftime, including three triples which make her the 13th Lady Flame ever to hit 100 career three-pointers.
- Similarly, Boone (13 points) and Aegisdottir (12 points) both did all of their scoring after the intermission. Three Liberty freshmen have reached double figures in the first two games of the season, after Brooke Moore went for 13 points during Monday's 68-46 home win over Frostburg State.
- Hodges finished a point off her career high with 11 tallies.
- Hess (42 minutes) and Hodges (41 minutes) became the first Lady Flames to play 40+ minutes since Dee Brown logged 40 minutes during last season's OT win over FGCU on Jan. 21, 2023.
- Friday marked the first-ever matchup between Liberty and Stephen F. Austin. SFA is the first of nine first-time opponents on the Lady Flames' 2023-24 slate.
Up Next
The Lady Flames will remain in the Lone Star State for a Sunday matinee at No. 13 Texas (1-0). The first-ever hardwood meeting between the Lady Flames and Longhorns is slated for a 3 p.m. Eastern tipoff at the Moody Center in Austin.
Team Stats
Lib
SFA
FG%
.443
.400
3FG%
.316
.321
FT%
.762
.800
RB
46
32
TO
19
17
STL
11
13
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballC
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