Friday, November 24
Katy, Texas
2:15 PM ET/1:15 PM CT
Liberty University
59
vs
102
Gonzaga
Brooke Moore
Hot-Shooting Gonzaga Defeats Liberty, 102-59
11/24/2023 5:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
KATY, Texas – Gonzaga found the Merrell Center hoops to its liking on the opening day of the Betty Chancellor Classic on Friday. The hot-shooting Bulldogs knocked down 17 three-pointers during a 102-59 victory over Liberty.
Liberty falls to 2-3 with its third consecutive loss. The Lady Flames got 14 points from Bella Smuda and 13 more from Emma Hess but could not slow down Gonzaga's high-octane offensive attack.
Gonzaga's fourth straight win pushes the Bulldogs' season mark to 5-1. The Bulldogs' 17 triples tie the most any team has ever made against the Lady Flames. Gonzaga also scored the most points of any opponent in Carey Green's 25 seasons at Liberty.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Smuda – 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 6-6 FT; Hess – 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists; Asia Boone – 6 points, 2 steals.
Gonzaga Individuals: Kayleigh Truong – 25 points, 3 assists, 5-6 3FG; Eliza Hollingsworth – 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-7 3FG; Kaylynne Truong – 17 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 4-9 3FG; Brynna Maxwell – 11 points, Yvonne Ejim – 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals.
Key Team Stats: Gonzaga shot well from the floor (34-of-64 for 53.1 percent), three-point range (17-of-33 for 51.5 percent) and the foul line (17-of-22 for 77.3 percent). The Bulldogs became the first team since No. 1 South Carolina on Dec. 11, 2022 to shoot 50 percent from the field against Liberty, snapping a streak of 29 straight games forcing opponents to miss more than half of their shot attempts. Meanwhile, the Lady Flames finished at 36.2 percent (21-of-58) from the floor, 25 percent (4-of-16) from beyond the arc and 76.5 percent (13-of-17) from the charity stripe. Gonzaga became the first team to outrebound Liberty this year (37-23), converting 13 offensive boards into 24 second-chance points. The Bulldogs dished out 24 assists and turned Liberty's 12 turnovers into 21 points. The Lady Flames had the upper hand inside the paint (32-18).
Turning Point
Kayleigh Truong made a trio of three-pointers and scored 13 total points during the contest's first 6:09, helping Gonzaga race out to a 20-9 advantage. The early offensive surge foreshadowed what was to follow, and Liberty never got back within single digits.
Game Summary
First Quarter
The Lady Flames will tip off day two of the Betty Chancellor Classic Saturday at Noon Eastern with a matchup against No. 15 Louisville (4-1) inside the Merrell Center. The Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season during Friday's opening contest, falling 78-73 to Alabama.
Liberty falls to 2-3 with its third consecutive loss. The Lady Flames got 14 points from Bella Smuda and 13 more from Emma Hess but could not slow down Gonzaga's high-octane offensive attack.
Gonzaga's fourth straight win pushes the Bulldogs' season mark to 5-1. The Bulldogs' 17 triples tie the most any team has ever made against the Lady Flames. Gonzaga also scored the most points of any opponent in Carey Green's 25 seasons at Liberty.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Smuda – 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 6-6 FT; Hess – 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists; Asia Boone – 6 points, 2 steals.
Gonzaga Individuals: Kayleigh Truong – 25 points, 3 assists, 5-6 3FG; Eliza Hollingsworth – 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-7 3FG; Kaylynne Truong – 17 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 4-9 3FG; Brynna Maxwell – 11 points, Yvonne Ejim – 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals.
Key Team Stats: Gonzaga shot well from the floor (34-of-64 for 53.1 percent), three-point range (17-of-33 for 51.5 percent) and the foul line (17-of-22 for 77.3 percent). The Bulldogs became the first team since No. 1 South Carolina on Dec. 11, 2022 to shoot 50 percent from the field against Liberty, snapping a streak of 29 straight games forcing opponents to miss more than half of their shot attempts. Meanwhile, the Lady Flames finished at 36.2 percent (21-of-58) from the floor, 25 percent (4-of-16) from beyond the arc and 76.5 percent (13-of-17) from the charity stripe. Gonzaga became the first team to outrebound Liberty this year (37-23), converting 13 offensive boards into 24 second-chance points. The Bulldogs dished out 24 assists and turned Liberty's 12 turnovers into 21 points. The Lady Flames had the upper hand inside the paint (32-18).
Turning Point
Kayleigh Truong made a trio of three-pointers and scored 13 total points during the contest's first 6:09, helping Gonzaga race out to a 20-9 advantage. The early offensive surge foreshadowed what was to follow, and Liberty never got back within single digits.
Game Summary
First Quarter
- Gonzaga knocked down three of its four three-point tries and all nine of its free throws during an efficient opening 10 minutes, building a 28-11 advantage.
- The Bulldogs scored the second quarter's first nine points, wrapping up an overall 13-0 run. Kayleigh Truong's hoop at the 8:32 mark put Gonzaga on top, 37-11.
- Gonzaga's lead remained above 20 points for the remainder of the half despite Emma Hess tallying seven of Liberty's 20 points for the stanza.
- The Bulldogs owned a 55-31 halftime lead after scorching the nets from the field (60 percent, 18-of-30), three-point range (54.5 percent, 6-of-11) and the free throw line (93.3 percent, 14-of-15) prior to the intermission.
- Gonzaga nailed eight more three-pointers during a 35-point third period, building a 90-48 advantage.
- Bella Smuda paced the Lady Flames with eight points during the stanza, hitting all four of her free throw attempts.
- The scoring pace finally slowed down during the final period, with Gonzaga tallying 12 points to Liberty's 11.
- Freshmen accounted for 10 of the Lady Flames' 11 points in the fourth.
- Smuda's 14 points matched her season high and put her into double figures for the fourth time in five contests to begin the season.
- Hess (13 points) has also posted four double-digit scoring efforts this season. Her 11th three-pointer of the year ties the junior with Elena Kisseleva for 11th place in program history with 103 career triples.
- All 11 Lady Flames who got into the game scored points.
- Friday's game marked Liberty's first-ever matchup with Gonzaga and its first hardwood meeting with a West Coast Conference opponent.
- The other teams to hit 17 triples against the Lady Flames were Iowa State (Dec. 9, 2000) and North Florida (Feb. 6, 2021).
- Prior to Friday, the most points a Carey Green-coached Liberty team had ever yielded was 100 by Tennessee in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
The Lady Flames will tip off day two of the Betty Chancellor Classic Saturday at Noon Eastern with a matchup against No. 15 Louisville (4-1) inside the Merrell Center. The Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season during Friday's opening contest, falling 78-73 to Alabama.
Players Mentioned
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