Thursday, February 22
Lynchburg, Va.
7:00 PM ET
Liberty University
13-14,8-4CUSA
71
vs
56
FIU
18-8,9-3CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
FIU
8
11
21
16
56
Liberty
14
21
21
15
71
Jordan Hodges posted her first career double-double on Thursday.
Hodges, Smuda Notch Double-Doubles in 71-56 Win Over FIU
2/22/2024 10:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Double-doubles by Jordan Hodges (15 points, career-high 11 rebounds) and Bella Smuda (10 points, game-high 14 rebounds) powered Liberty past second-place FIU, Thursday at Liberty Arena.
Liberty moves to 13-14 overall and 8-4 in CUSA play with its sixth consecutive home win. The Lady Flames dominated the glass (55-38) against the conference's top rebounding team to avenge a 70-59 road defeat from Jan. 18.
FIU is 18-8 overall and 9-3 in CUSA after losing for just the third time in its last 15 contests. The Panthers were limited to 19 first-half points and shot only 27.7 percent (18-of-65) for the night.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Emma Hess – 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3-6 3FG; Hodges – 15 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals; Smuda – 10 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks; Claudia Acin – 8 points, 2-3 3FG.
FIU Individuals: Kaliah Henderson – 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 8-10 FT; Tanajah Hayes – 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals; Courtney Prenger – 11 points, 5 rebounds; Mya Kone – 6 points, 5 rebounds.
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished at 37.9 percent (25-of-66) from the field and 27.6 percent (8-of-29) from three-point range. Both teams fared pretty well at the foul line, with FIU connecting at an 81 percent (17-of-21) clip and Liberty shooting 72.2 percent (13-of-18). The Lady Flames grabbed 17 offensive boards, leading to 18 second-chance points. Liberty recorded 23 bench points to the Panthers' 19. FIU turned Liberty's 14 turnovers into 15 points.
Turning Point
Liberty owned a one-point lead (9-8) heading to the final minute of the opening quarter. The Lady Flames then exploded for a 12-0 run bridging the first and second periods.
Hess and Hodges tallied five points apiece during the surge which ended with Liberty in front by 21-8, 1:33 into the second stanza.
FIU got no closer than nine points down for the remainder of the contest.
Game Summary
First Quarter
Notes and Nuggets
The Lady Flames will head west for their next two contests, beginning with their first-ever visit to New Mexico State on Feb. 29. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. Eastern at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M. Liberty will look to complete a season sweep of the Aggies after posting a 69-53 home win on Feb. 1.
Liberty moves to 13-14 overall and 8-4 in CUSA play with its sixth consecutive home win. The Lady Flames dominated the glass (55-38) against the conference's top rebounding team to avenge a 70-59 road defeat from Jan. 18.
FIU is 18-8 overall and 9-3 in CUSA after losing for just the third time in its last 15 contests. The Panthers were limited to 19 first-half points and shot only 27.7 percent (18-of-65) for the night.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Emma Hess – 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3-6 3FG; Hodges – 15 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals; Smuda – 10 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks; Claudia Acin – 8 points, 2-3 3FG.
FIU Individuals: Kaliah Henderson – 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 8-10 FT; Tanajah Hayes – 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals; Courtney Prenger – 11 points, 5 rebounds; Mya Kone – 6 points, 5 rebounds.
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished at 37.9 percent (25-of-66) from the field and 27.6 percent (8-of-29) from three-point range. Both teams fared pretty well at the foul line, with FIU connecting at an 81 percent (17-of-21) clip and Liberty shooting 72.2 percent (13-of-18). The Lady Flames grabbed 17 offensive boards, leading to 18 second-chance points. Liberty recorded 23 bench points to the Panthers' 19. FIU turned Liberty's 14 turnovers into 15 points.
Turning Point
Liberty owned a one-point lead (9-8) heading to the final minute of the opening quarter. The Lady Flames then exploded for a 12-0 run bridging the first and second periods.
Hess and Hodges tallied five points apiece during the surge which ended with Liberty in front by 21-8, 1:33 into the second stanza.
FIU got no closer than nine points down for the remainder of the contest.
Game Summary
First Quarter
- Liberty emerged with a 14-8 edge after a first quarter where both teams struggled shooting the basketball. The Lady Flames hit 31.3 percent (5-of-16) from the field, while FIU made just 22.2 percent (4-of-18) of its attempts.
- Hess (seven points) scored half of the Lady Flames' first quarter points, while Hayes accounted for six of the visitors' eight tallies.
- The Lady Flames tallied the second quarter's first seven points, capping off the aforementioned 12-0 run at the 8:27 mark when Smuda's pair of free throws gave them a 21-8 lead.
- Liberty's advantage remained in double figures for the rest of the opening half. For the second game in a row, Acin nailed a three-pointer just before halftime, extending the Lady Flames' cushion to 16 (35-19) at the intermission.
- The Panthers battled back into the game with a 6-0 run to begin the third period. FIU ended up scoring 21 points for the stanza, exceeding its first-half scoring output.
- But Liberty shot 50 percent (8-of-16) during a 21-point period of its own. The Lady Flames finished off the quarter with six straight points, rebuilding their 16-point lead (56-40).
- Henderson scored eight fourth-quarter points for FIU, but the Panthers could not mount a serious rally.
- Liberty's 71-56 triumph marked its fifth consecutive double-digit home win and its first-ever victory over FIU.
Notes and Nuggets
- Hess scored in double digits for the third straight game and the 20th time this season. In the process, she leapfrogged Kristal Tharp for fifth place on Liberty's career three-pointers list with 153.
- Hess has hit 61 triples this season, making her the second Lady Flame (also Cynthia Thomson in 1989-90 and 1990-91) to post back-to-back seasons of 60+ three-pointers. She is just three shy of matching the Liberty single-season record of 64 triples, co-held by Thomson (1989-90) and Emily Lytle (2018-19).
- Hodges shattered her previous career high of seven rebounds to record her first career double-double. She also matched a career high with three steals.
- Smuda's double-double was her 13th of the season and the 15th of the center's career. She has scored in double figures in eight straight contests, seven of which Liberty has won.
- Smuda shot 4-of-4 at the foul line, making her 11-of-11 in the last two games. Ella Wigal also extended her consecutive free throws made streak to 10 with a connection on Thursday.
- Liberty has won each of its last five home games by 15 points or more, trailing by a total of 43 seconds (all during Thursday's contest) over that span.
- The Lady Flames are now 10-4 at Liberty Arena this season, marking their 19th season with 10+ home wins in the last 22.
- The home team is 52-7 all-time at Liberty Arena, including 30-2 in conference play.
The Lady Flames will head west for their next two contests, beginning with their first-ever visit to New Mexico State on Feb. 29. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. Eastern at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M. Liberty will look to complete a season sweep of the Aggies after posting a 69-53 home win on Feb. 1.
Team Stats
FIU
Lib
FG%
.277
.379
3FG%
.200
.276
FT%
.810
.722
RB
38
55
TO
8
14
STL
9
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
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