WBB Game Day: Hawai'i

Game Day Coverage

Liberty Storylines

Liberty (6-3, 0-0 CUSA) will close out non-conference play at the Maui Classic, beginning with its first-ever meeting with Big West preseason favorite Hawai'i (5-5, 0-2 Big West).
The Lady Flames are 3-0 all-time against Big West opponents but are facing a conference member for the first time in 17 years.
After going 2-0 at the Navy Classic (Nov. 29-30), Liberty hopes for a repeat performance in Makawao. If successful, it would mark the first time since 2021-22 Liberty has recorded a pair of 2-0 regular-season tournament showings.
Ify Nwaobi (16 points, 13 rebounds) recorded her first career double-double during Saturday's home loss to A-10 preseason favorite Richmond. It marked her seventh straight game rebounding in double figures, the longest streak by a Lady Flame since current assistant Katie (Feenstra) Mattera did so in eight consecutive contests as a junior in 2003-04.
Avery Mills is averaging 19.3 ppg over her last four outings, a run which includes a pair of 24-point outings and MVP honors at the Navy Classic. She ranks among the national leaders with 29 three-pointers made this season.

Notes and Anecdotes

The Maui Classic will mark Liberty's first visit to Hawai'i in its 51 seasons of playing women's basketball. Prior to this week, the Lady Flames' longest trip of the season was a 216-mile bus ride to Navy (Annapolis, Md.) Thanksgiving weekend.
The Lady Flames will play two games which tip off during the same day in their home time zone (Eastern), as Friday's matchup with Hawai'i will begin at 12:30 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, while the Oregon State contest will tip later that day at 11 p.m. Eastern.
Liberty is predicted for a runner-up finish in CUSA, while Hawai'i was tabbed the Big West's preseason favorite for the fourth year in a row.
The Rainbow Wahine went 22-10 last season, winning the Big West regular-season title and playing in the WBIT. That makes Hawai'i one of 10 squads among Liberty's 11-team non-conference schedule which posted a winning record in 2024-25.
Liberty arrives in Hawai'i having won four of its last five games, while the Rainbow Wahine have dropped five of their last six contests and are seeking their first win over a Division I foe since Nov. 23 (Portland). The Lady Flames are in the midst of a stretch where they are only playing one home game in a six-week span (Nov. 27-Jan. 7).

Lady Flames vs. Big West

Liberty is 3-0 all-time against Big West opponents (at time of meeting) and has gone on to make the NCAA Tournament each time it has defeated a Big West foe during the regular season.
Most recently, the Lady Flames edged UC Riverside 45-44 in a Preseason WNIT consolation game, Nov. 21, 2008 in Cullowhee, N.C.
Liberty recorded a 64-47 home win over Boise State on Dec. 7, 1999 in recently retired head coach Carey Green's sixth game at the helm.
The Lady Flames' first Big West matchup resulted in a 66-55 triumph over Long Beach State on Dec. 29, 1996, the opening day of the Louisville Classic. Two months later, Liberty made its first of 18 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Tournament Time

The Maui Classic marks Liberty's second and final regular-season tournament of 2025-26.
The Lady Flames previously went 2-0 at the Navy Classic (Nov. 29-30 in Annapolis, Md.), defeating Duquesne and Manhattan.
Liberty is hoping to finish 2-0 at a pair of regular-season tournaments for the first time since 2021-22. That year, the Lady Flames won both of their games at the Navy Classic (Annapolis, Md.) and South Padre Island Classic (South Padre Island, Texas).

10-Game Checkpoint

Liberty's Maui Classic opener vs. Hawai'i is the Lady Flames' 10th game of the season. A win would mark the second straight year and the fourth time in six seasons Liberty has won at least seven of its first 10 contests.
Avery Mills ranks among the nation's leaders with 3.22 three-pointers made per game. By way of comparison, current assistant Emma Hess averaged 2.24 triples per game when she hit a program-record 76 during 2023-24.
Ify Nwaobi is averaging 11.0 rpg to begin her collegiate career. Avery Warley pulled down 11.5 rpg for the season when she tallied a program-record 381 boards in 2011-12.

Schedule