WBB Game Day: Bellarmine
2/27/2023 10:49:10 PM | Women's Basketball
Game Day Links:
Live Video (ESPN+)
Live Audio (Liberty Online Audio Streaming)
Liberty Women’s Basketball Instagram
Liberty Women’s Basketball Twitter
Liberty Women’s Basketball Facebook
Bellarmine Women’s Basketball Webpage
ASUN Women’s Basketball Webpage
Game Time:
Wednesday – 6:30 p.m.
TV Coverage:
ESPN+
Play-By-Play Broadcaster: Jack Kizer
Color Analyst: Pam Stackhouse
Radio Coverage:
Liberty Flames Sports Network – Radio
Liberty Online Audio Streaming
Play-By-Play Broadcaster:Â Jamie Hall
Liberty’s Top Storylines
• Liberty (21-7, 15-2 ASUN) will head to Bellarmine (9-21, 5-12 ASUN) for both teams' regular-season finale and their second meeting in seven days.
• The Lady Flames posted a 77-50 victory over the Knights at Liberty Arena on Thursday, improving to 5-0 in the head-to-head series. Liberty is averaging 79.4 ppg all-time against Bellarmine and winning by an average of 20.2 points.
• Liberty has won 13 straight games overall and six straight on the road, clinching the No. 2 seed for the ASUN Women's Basketball Championship.
• Mya Berkman leads the Lady Flames in scoring (14.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.4 rpg), while pacing the nation in field goal percentage (70.2). She has reached double figures all five times she has faced Bellarmine. Berkman went for 20 points and a career-high 18 rebounds against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday while celebrating her 23rd birthday. Wednesday will mark her 150th career game.
• Liberty, which hit six triples against Bellarmine on Thursday, needs eight more to break the program single-season record of 190 three-pointers set in 2020-21.
Notes and Anecdotes – Liberty vs. Bellarmine
• Liberty will close out the regular season with its second matchup against Bellarmine in seven days. The Lady Flames swept both contests versus Jacksonville and Queens earlier this season when facing those teams twice within a week.
• Liberty will be the No. 2 seed for the ASUN Championship, while Bellarmine will not qualify for the event, regardless of Wednesday's outcomes. The Lady Flames will host either North Alabama, Kennesaw State or Jacksonville State in a quarterfinal contest on Sunday.
• Liberty will play at Bellarmine one night after their men's basketball counterparts host the Knights in an ASUN quarterfinal at Liberty Arena.
• The Lady Flames are 5-0 versus Bellarmine, with three of the five contests taking place in Louisville, one in Lynchburg and one at Kennesaw State.
• Liberty's Mya Berkman officially ranks No. 1 in the NCAA for field goal percentage at 70.2. Bellarmine freshman Gracie Merkle is shooting 71.5 percent this season but does not qualify for the NCAA list due to the Knights' current transition period from NCAA Division II to Division I.
• The Lady Flames rank No. 14 nationally in blocked shots (5.1/game) and have not averaged this many rejections for a full season since 2002-03 (5.2 blocks/game).
Ballin' vs. Bellarmine
• Bella Smuda has totaled 59 points, 34 rebounds and 11 blocks in 85 total minutes played against Bellarmine for her career. She has scored in double figures in three of five career matchups with the Knights.
• Mya Berkman has reached double digits all five times she has faced Bellarmine, averaging 12.8 ppg on 26-of-38 (68.4 percent) from the field and 12-of-12 from the line.
• Jordan Hodges recorded new career highs for points (12) and three-pointers made (3) during the Lady Flames' 77-50 triumph over Bellarmine on Thursday.
On the Road in the ASUN
• Liberty is 69-22 against ASUN Conference opponents since joining the league prior to the 2018-19 season, including 28-15 on the road.
• The Lady Flames are 27-13 in ASUN Conference games on the road (including 6-2 this season) and 1-2 in road contests in the ASUN Championship.
• Liberty is 7-13 when facing ASUN Conference opponents in Florida (including 1-2 this season) and 62-9 when matching up with ASUN foes in any other state (including 14-0 this season).
Summarizing the Streak
• Liberty's current 13-game winning streak, which began on Jan. 14 at Jacksonville, is its longest since a 14-game streak spanning Jan. 24-March 8, 2015.
• Kennedi Williams has played exceptionally well, averaging 8.5 ppg and a team-high 1.5 spg while posting a 61-to-13 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Liberty has shot well from the field (48.1 percent), three-point range (36.7 percent) and the foul line (78.1 percent) while blocking 6.2 shots per outing.
