Thursday, January 30
Lynchburg, Va.
7:00 PM ET
Liberty University
14-5,7-1CUSA
74
vs
39
Kennesaw State
8-11,3-5CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Kennesaw St.
13
10
8
8
39
Liberty
15
28
13
18
74
Emma Hess hit 4 triples during a key 21-0 second-quarter run on Thursday.
21-0 Run Fuels Liberty’s 74-39 Win Over Kennesaw State
1/30/2025 10:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty broke open Thursday evening's CUSA matchup with Kennesaw State with a 21-0 second-quarter run. The Lady Flames went on to post a 74-39 victory over the Owls at Liberty Arena, marking Liberty's largest margin of victory in a CUSA contest.
Liberty improves to 14-5 overall and 7-1 in CUSA action with its sixth straight victory and its eighth consecutive home triumph. The Lady Flames excelled from outside (11 three-pointers) and inside (+26 rebound margin) while improving to 12-0 all-time versus Kennesaw State.
Now 8-11 overall and 3-5 in its first year of CUSA play, Kennesaw State shot just 27.1 percent (16-of-59) from the field and 14.3 percent (2-of-14) from three-point range while finishing with a season-low 39 points.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Emma Hess – 14 points, 4-10 3FG; Bella Smuda – 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks; Brooke Moore – 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2-5 3FG; Pien Steenbergen – 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2-5 3FG; Emmy Stout – 8 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks.
Kennesaw State Individuals: Carly Hooks – 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2-5 3FG; Prencis Harden – 12 points, 7 rebounds.
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the evening at 42 percent (29-of-69) from the floor and 32.4 percent (11-of-34) from beyond the arc. The Lady Flames matched a season high with 56 rebounds, converting 16 offensive boards into 15 second-chance points. Liberty's bench (37) and starters (37) scored matching numbers of points, while KSU's reserves managed a single point. The Lady Flames blocked six shots and doubled up the Owls in points in the paint, 36-18.
Turning Point
Hooks scored Kennesaw State's first eight points of the second quarter, including a three-point play at the 7:07 mark which put the visitors on top, 21-19.
Liberty then put together its aforementioned 21-0 burst, sparked by Hess's four three-pointers and 14 points.
The senior's fourth triple, coming 1:40 before halftime, gave Liberty a 40-21 advantage.
Kennesaw State only managed to score 18 total points the rest of the night.
Game Summary
First Quarter
Liberty will close out its three-game homestand and the first half of CUSA play with a Saturday matinee against Jax State (9-10, 3-5 CUSA). Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. inside Liberty Arena, and the game will air on ESPN+.
Liberty improves to 14-5 overall and 7-1 in CUSA action with its sixth straight victory and its eighth consecutive home triumph. The Lady Flames excelled from outside (11 three-pointers) and inside (+26 rebound margin) while improving to 12-0 all-time versus Kennesaw State.
Now 8-11 overall and 3-5 in its first year of CUSA play, Kennesaw State shot just 27.1 percent (16-of-59) from the field and 14.3 percent (2-of-14) from three-point range while finishing with a season-low 39 points.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Emma Hess – 14 points, 4-10 3FG; Bella Smuda – 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks; Brooke Moore – 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2-5 3FG; Pien Steenbergen – 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2-5 3FG; Emmy Stout – 8 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks.
Kennesaw State Individuals: Carly Hooks – 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2-5 3FG; Prencis Harden – 12 points, 7 rebounds.
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the evening at 42 percent (29-of-69) from the floor and 32.4 percent (11-of-34) from beyond the arc. The Lady Flames matched a season high with 56 rebounds, converting 16 offensive boards into 15 second-chance points. Liberty's bench (37) and starters (37) scored matching numbers of points, while KSU's reserves managed a single point. The Lady Flames blocked six shots and doubled up the Owls in points in the paint, 36-18.
Turning Point
Hooks scored Kennesaw State's first eight points of the second quarter, including a three-point play at the 7:07 mark which put the visitors on top, 21-19.
Liberty then put together its aforementioned 21-0 burst, sparked by Hess's four three-pointers and 14 points.
The senior's fourth triple, coming 1:40 before halftime, gave Liberty a 40-21 advantage.
Kennesaw State only managed to score 18 total points the rest of the night.
Game Summary
First Quarter
- Despite shooting only 30 percent (6-of-20) from the field during the first 10 minutes, Liberty emerged with a 15-13 edge.
- The Lady Flames went on a 9-0 run late in the opening quarter, sparked by two Brooke Moore three-pointers.
- One game after racking up 29 second-quarter points in a win over FIU, Liberty outscored KSU 28-13 during Thursday's second period.
- All 14 of Hess's points in the game came during the stanza, as she accounted for four of the Lady Flames' six triples. As a result, Liberty went into halftime with a 43-23 lead.
- Despite the Lady Flames committing six turnovers in the third quarter, the home team was able to add five points to its lead.
- Liberty's bench (9 points) scored more points than Kennesaw State's team (8 points) for the stanza, leading to a 56-31 cushion.
- Liberty's reserves added 14 more points during the fourth quarter, helping extend the Lady Flames' lead to as many as 37 on their way to a 35-point triumph.
- Hess (14 points) scored in double digits for the fourth straight game and the 10th time this season. She finished the game with 202 career three-pointers, joining program record holder Cynthia Thomson as the only Lady Flames ever to knock down 200 triples.
- Steenbergen (10 points) reached double figures in the scoring column for the third game in a row, extending the longest such streak of her career.
- Moore scored 10 points for the third time this season and the fourth in her career. She also matched career highs for rebounds (8) and three-pointers (2).
- Stout led all players in rebounds (10) and plus-minus (+37) in her 21 minutes of work. It marked her most boards since her 16-rebound collegiate debut against Randolph on Dec. 11, and the freshman also matched her career high of two rejections.
- Prior to Thursday, Liberty's biggest win in a CUSA outing was 31 points (63-32 home win over Jax State on Jan. 27, 2024.
- The Lady Flames finish the month of January with a 7-1 record, improving to 176-34 during the calendar year's opening month under Carey Green.
- Thursday marked Liberty's eighth game with 10+ three-pointers this season. The Lady Flames did so against a KSU defense that entered the night ranked No. 12 nationally for three-point field goal percentage defense (25.0), yielding just 4.5 triples per game.
- Liberty missed its first free throw of the contest, snapping a streak of 27 straight made at the line. But the Lady Flames finished 5-of-6 at the charity stripe and have now hit 32-of-33 since halftime at New Mexico State on Jan. 18.
- The Lady Flames improved to 11-0 this season when winning the rebounding battle.
Liberty will close out its three-game homestand and the first half of CUSA play with a Saturday matinee against Jax State (9-10, 3-5 CUSA). Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. inside Liberty Arena, and the game will air on ESPN+.
Team Stats
KennSt
Lib
FG%
.271
.420
3FG%
.143
.324
FT%
.556
.833
RB
30
56
TO
13
13
STL
7
9
Game Leaders
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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