Saturday, January 25
Lynchburg, Va.
1:00 PM ET
Liberty University
13-5,6-1CUSA
83
vs
54
FIU
7-11,3-4CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
FIU
14
13
13
14
54
Liberty
16
29
20
18
83
Liberty welcomed back its Sweet 16 team from 2005 for a 20th anniversary celebration on Saturday.
Liberty Races Past FIU, 83-54, on Alumni Day
1/25/2025 5:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty put on a good show for its many former players and staff members in attendance for Alumni Day, Saturday at Liberty Arena. The Lady Flames shot 58.9 percent from the field in a dominating 83-54 victory over FIU.
Liberty (13-5, 6-1 CUSA) has now won a season-high five games in a row, remaining in a first-place tie with Middle Tennessee atop the conference standings. Emma Hess (16 points) paced four Lady Flames in double figures as Liberty's bench outscored FIU's reserves, 42-10.
FIU (7-11, 3-4 CUSA) drops to 1-6 on the road this season. The conference's No. 1-ranked rebounding team lost the battle of the boards by 10 (36-26) and shot just 36.4 percent (20-of-55) from the floor.
Saturday's Alumni Day was extra special because it served as a celebration of 50 years of Liberty women's basketball and the 20th anniversary of the Lady Flames' NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 run in 2005.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Emma Hess – 16 points, 3 assists, 2-5 3FG; Avery Mills – 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2-4 3FG; Asia Boone – 10 points; Pien Steenbergen – 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2-3 3FG; Bella Smuda – 8 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks, 3 steals.
FIU Individuals: Isnelle Natabou – 20 points, 5 rebounds; Parris Atkins – 10 points, 4 rebounds; Lucia Fleta Robles – 7 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds.
Key Team Stats: Liberty's final shooting numbers were 58.9 percent (33-of-56) from the field, 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from three-point range and a perfect 9-of-9 from the foul line. The Lady Flames enjoyed an 18-to-12 assist-to-turnover ratio and scored 24 points off FIU's 15 miscues. Liberty controlled the interior, enjoying a 44-30 edge in points in the paint and blocking seven shots.
Turning Point
FIU used a 14-2 run to take its largest lead of the afternoon (14-9) on Fantasia James' layup with 2:06 remaining in the first quarter.
Avery Mills hit a three-pointer on Liberty's next trip to the offensive end, sparking a 7-0 Liberty run to end the opening period.
Mills tallied five points during the burst which put the Lady Flames in front for good. All seven of the points were scored by reserves, setting the stage for a huge afternoon by the Liberty bench (42 points).
Game Summary
First Quarter
Liberty will continue its homestand on Thursday, matching up against former ASUN Conference foe Kennesaw State (8-10, 3-4 CUSA). Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will air on ESPN+.
Liberty (13-5, 6-1 CUSA) has now won a season-high five games in a row, remaining in a first-place tie with Middle Tennessee atop the conference standings. Emma Hess (16 points) paced four Lady Flames in double figures as Liberty's bench outscored FIU's reserves, 42-10.
FIU (7-11, 3-4 CUSA) drops to 1-6 on the road this season. The conference's No. 1-ranked rebounding team lost the battle of the boards by 10 (36-26) and shot just 36.4 percent (20-of-55) from the floor.
Saturday's Alumni Day was extra special because it served as a celebration of 50 years of Liberty women's basketball and the 20th anniversary of the Lady Flames' NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 run in 2005.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Emma Hess – 16 points, 3 assists, 2-5 3FG; Avery Mills – 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2-4 3FG; Asia Boone – 10 points; Pien Steenbergen – 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2-3 3FG; Bella Smuda – 8 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks, 3 steals.
FIU Individuals: Isnelle Natabou – 20 points, 5 rebounds; Parris Atkins – 10 points, 4 rebounds; Lucia Fleta Robles – 7 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds.
Key Team Stats: Liberty's final shooting numbers were 58.9 percent (33-of-56) from the field, 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from three-point range and a perfect 9-of-9 from the foul line. The Lady Flames enjoyed an 18-to-12 assist-to-turnover ratio and scored 24 points off FIU's 15 miscues. Liberty controlled the interior, enjoying a 44-30 edge in points in the paint and blocking seven shots.
Turning Point
FIU used a 14-2 run to take its largest lead of the afternoon (14-9) on Fantasia James' layup with 2:06 remaining in the first quarter.
Avery Mills hit a three-pointer on Liberty's next trip to the offensive end, sparking a 7-0 Liberty run to end the opening period.
Mills tallied five points during the burst which put the Lady Flames in front for good. All seven of the points were scored by reserves, setting the stage for a huge afternoon by the Liberty bench (42 points).
Game Summary
First Quarter
- Liberty emerged with a 16-14 edge after an opening 10 minutes which saw a 14-2 FIU run sandwiched by a pair of 7-0 Lady Flames surges.
- Liberty opened some separation during the second period, outscoring the Panthers, 29-13.
- The Lady Flames won the battle of bench points, 18-0, paced by Steenbergen's eight tallies. That helped Liberty take a 45-27 cushion into the intermission.
- Natabou scored 12 third-quarter points for FIU on 5-of-5 from the field. However, her teammates managed only one points on 0-of-10 shooting as Liberty was able to stretch its lead to 65-40 by quarter's end.
- The Lady Flames scorched the nets at a 77.8 percent (7-of-9) clip during the final stanza, helping their lead reach 30 points on three occasions.
- Hess scored a team-high 16 points, marking the senior's third straight game in double figures and her fifth in CUSA play this season.
- Mills' 14 points were her most since she tallied 19 against Randolph on Dec. 11.
- Steenbergen (10 points) has scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in her career.
- Smuda's game-high five blocked shots moved her past Meribeth (Feenstra) Anderson (one of the alumni attending Saturday's matinee) for second place in program history with 227 career rejections.
- With Jordan Hodges sidelined on Saturday, Anna Badosa made her first start as a Lady Flame after starting 75 times at Franklin Pierce. Badosa matched her season high of four points, grabbed a season-high six boards and dished out four assists in 24 minutes.
- Liberty has now connected on 27 consecutive free throw attempts, dating back to halftime at New Mexico State on Jan. 18.
- The Lady Flames shot over 50 percent from the field for the second game in a row, improving to 159-6 under Carey Green and 5-1 this season when doing so.
- Liberty is 10-0 this season when outrebounding its opponent.
- Liberty is now 18-4 versus CUSA opponents since falling at FIU on Jan. 18, 2024.
- The Lady Flames have won seven straight home games, moving to 59-9 all-time at Liberty Arena and 33-3 in conference contests at the facility.
- Liberty trailed for 1:58 of Saturday's contest. The Lady Flames have been behind for only 10:05 total during their current five-game winning streak.
Liberty will continue its homestand on Thursday, matching up against former ASUN Conference foe Kennesaw State (8-10, 3-4 CUSA). Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will air on ESPN+.
Team Stats
FIU
Lib
FG%
.364
.589
3FG%
.357
.364
FT%
.643
1.000
RB
26
36
TO
15
12
STL
6
9
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
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