WBB Game Day: Duquesne

Game Day Coverage

Liberty Storylines

Liberty (3-2) will tip off its fourth Navy Classic appearance all-time with a Saturday matchup against Duquesne (5-1). The Dukes are the first of three A-10 foes during the Lady Flames' next four outings.
The Lady Flames and Dukes have split two previous meetings, both of which have come in tournament settings (2012 Preseason WNIT, 2018 St. Pete Shootout).
Liberty, which is coming off an 80-35 home win over UVA Wise on Wednesday, is seeking its first victory away from Liberty Arena this season. Seven of the Lady Flames' next eight contests will take place away from Lynchburg.
The Lady Flames got strong play from their centers against UVA Wise. Freshman Lynn Peters (17 points, 10 rebounds) fashioned her first career double-double, while sophomore Emmy Stout (13 points, 7 rebounds) scored in double figures for the fifth straight game to begin the season.
Liberty has outrebounded all five opponents this season and owns a +15.6 rebound margin. Redshirt freshman Ify Nwaobi has grabbed 34 boards during her last three games, giving her a team-best 10.0 rpg for the year.

Notes and Anecdotes

Both previous Liberty-Duquesne matchups have come during tournaments. Host Duquesne defeated the Lady Flames 63-46 in the first round of the 2012 Preseason WNIT. Liberty then edged the Dukes 55-51 on day two of the 2018 St. Pete Shootout.
Liberty is predicted for a runner-up finish in CUSA, while Duquesne was picked eighth of 14 teams in the A-10.
Duquesne finished 21-13 last season, reaching the WNIT's Super 16 round. The Dukes are one of 10 squads among Liberty's 11-team non-conference schedule which posted a winning record in 2024-25.
The Dukes are 5-1 to begin the 2025-26 campaign and have been a strong rebounding team like Liberty. Duquesne heads to Annapolis with a +15.7 rebound margin, while the Lady Flames sit at +15.6.
Both the Lady Flames and Dukes feature young rosters, with only one senior (Liberty's Lydie Mwamba) between them.
First-year Duquesne player Dunja Zecevic went 0-4 against Liberty while playing at UTEP the last two seasons.
Liberty's Avery Mills and Emmy Stout defeated Raevin Washington's Turner Ashby squad twice on their way to the Virginia Class 3 state title as LCA seniors in 2024.

Lady Flames vs. A-10

Liberty is 9-18 all-time when facing Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) opponents, including 3-4 in neutral-site matchups.
Saturday will mark the Lady Flames' first A-10 meeting since Dec. 16, 2023, when they suffered a 99-73 setback at Richmond.
Liberty has lost five of its last six contests against A-10 foes, with the lone victory coming against Duquesne (55-51 on Dec. 22, 2018).
After facing only two A-10 foes during the last six seasons (2019-20 through 2024-25), the Lady Flames will play three of their next four games against A-10 members.
Following Saturday's clash with Duquesne, Liberty will head to George Mason on Dec. 7 and host Richmond on Dec. 13.

Navy Classic Notes

The Lady Flames are making their fourth Navy Classic appearance, following previous visits to Annapolis in 2009, 2016 and 2021.
Liberty is 4-2 all-time at the Navy Classic, going 2-0 in both 2009 and 2021.
The Lady Flames' most recent Navy Classic appearance was memorable. They defeated Navy and Bowling Green on Nov. 27 and 28, 2021, with the latter victory marking career win No. 500 for Carey Green.

Tournament Time

The Navy Classic is the first of two regular-season tournaments on Liberty's schedule. The Lady Flames will close out non-conference play with a pair of games at the Maui Classic, Dec. 19-20 in Makawao, Hawai'i.
No official tournament champion will be crowned in either Annapolis or Makawao, with both events featuring predetermined matchups.
Liberty is looking to go 2-0 at a regular-season tournament for the first time since the 2022 Husky Classic (Dec. 18-19, 2022). The Lady Flames topped host Washington and SIUE to return from Seattle with a pair of victories.

Schedule