WBB Game Day: Radford

Game Day Coverage

Liberty Storylines

Liberty (3-7) returns home on Wednesday for its 72nd all-time meeting with Radford (2-8), the Lady Flames' most frequently played opponent in program history.
The Lady Flames are 45-26 all-time against the Highlanders, including 38-6 under Carey Green. Liberty has won seven consecutive matchups with Radford in Lynchburg, but this will be the first time the squads have faced off at Liberty Arena.
Liberty has won 15 straight contests against Big South Conference opponents since suffering a 52-45 loss at Radford on Feb. 13, 2018.
Center Bella Smuda led all players in rebounds (career-high 16) and blocked shots (career high-equaling 6) during a tightly-contested 80-67 loss at No. 3 NC State on Sunday. She added 14 points to complete her second consecutive double-double. Smuda ranks No. 8 nationally with 29 blocked shots this season, 16 of which have come in the last three outings.
Guard Asia Boone is the two-time reigning CUSA Freshman of the Week (Dec. 4 & Dec. 11). She scored a team-high 17 points at NC State, equaling her career high. Boone is averaging 16.0 ppg and three triples per contest in December.

Notes and Anecdotes

In a season where Liberty is joining a new conference and facing nine first-time opponents, Radford brings a sense of familiarity to the schedule. Wednesday's meeting will be the 72nd matchup between the in-state foes, making Radford the most frequently played opponent in program history. The Lady Flames and Highlanders first met on Feb. 5, 1980 during Liberty's fifth women's basketball season.
Liberty has won seven straight home meetings with Radford, but the two teams have not faced off inside Liberty Arena.
Both teams started the season 2-0, but Liberty and Radford have combined to win only one game since.
Radford will be the first team with a losing record the Lady Flames have faced this season. Their first nine opponents boasted a combined record of 36-7 at the time of meeting.
Carey Green will be recognized prior to tipoff for becoming Liberty's winningest coach in athletics department history (all sports) during the Nov. 6 season opener vs. Frostburg State. Thirty-eight of his 550 wins have come vs. Radford.
Mike McGuire is in his 11th season as Radford's head coach. He is the only Big South head coach who remains from Liberty's last season in the conference (2017-18). McGuire is 2-10 coaching against the Lady Flames.

Home Sweet Home

Liberty will look to bounce back from a 73-70 (OT) setback to Towson in its last home game on Dec. 4. That marked the Lady Flames' fourth loss in 48 games all-time at Liberty Arena, which opened in time for the 2020-21 season.
Prior to Liberty's loss to Towson, the Lady Flames had won 16 consecutive home games. That marked their longest winning streak ever inside Liberty Arena.
Wednesday will mark Radford's first visit to Liberty Arena. The Highlanders faced the Lady Flames 29 times next door at the Vines Center between 1992-2018.
The Lady Flames are 3-0 when facing Big South opponents at Liberty Arena.

Liberty vs. Big South

Liberty spent 27 seasons (1991-92 through 2017-18) as a Big South Conference member, winning 16 regular-season championships and 17 conference tournament titles.
Liberty went 328-88 in Big South Conference play and was 56-10 in the Big South Championship. The Lady Flames have won their last 15 meetings with Big South foes, including a 7-0 record since leaving the conference. Radford was the last Big South team to defeat the Lady Flames, doing so by a 52-45 score at the Dedmon Center on Feb. 13, 2018.
Liberty's 67-54 victory at Radford on Dec. 4, 2022 was the Lady Flames' lone Big South matchup last season. The Highlanders are the only Big South squad to appear on Liberty's 2023-24 schedule.

Schedule