WBB Game Day: No. 8 seed Sam Houston

Game Day Coverage

No. 1 seed Liberty vs. No. 8 seed Sam Houston (CUSA Quarterfinal - Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala.)
Tipoff: Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. Eastern/11:30 a.m. Central
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LFSN Radio
Live Stats
Championship Central
Championship Ticket Information

Liberty Storylines

No. 1 seed Liberty (22-6, 15-2 CUSA) will face No. 8 seed Sam Houston (13-16, 5-13 CUSA) in the first CUSA quarterfinal on Wednesday.
Liberty is 4-0 all-time against the Bearkats, winning this season's two matchups by an average of 17.5 ppg. The Lady Flames' 74-54 victory in Huntsville, Texas on Feb. 8 began an eight-game winning streak which continues into today's matchup in Huntsville, Ala.
After sharing the CUSA regular-season crown with Middle Tennessee, Liberty is seeded No. 1 in in its conference tournament for the first time since 2018.
All-CUSA first team center Bella Smuda averaged 15.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg vs. Sam Houston this season. She posted three straight double-doubles at last year's CUSA Championship.
All-CUSA second team guard Asia Boone scored in double figures in five straight games to close the regular season. She paced the Lady Flames with 16.0 ppg during the 2024 CUSA Championship as a freshman.
All-CUSA second team guard Emma Hess's career high of 30 points came at Sam Houston last season. She also posted 19 in a 69-54 home win over the Bearkats on Jan. 9.

Notes and Anecdotes

Both of Liberty's regular-season meetings with Sam Houston came directly on the heels of the Lady Flames' two CUSA losses (at Middle Tennessee and at LA Tech). This time around, the Lady Flames are on a season-best eight-game winning streak which began with a 74-54 triumph at Sam Houston on Feb. 8.
The Lady Flames are 4-0 all-time against Sam Houston, making the Bearkats one of four current CUSA members Liberty has never lost to (also Kennesaw State, New Mexico State and UTEP).
Sam Houston ranks first in CUSA and eighth nationally in turnovers forced per game (23.8). The Bearkats forced 31 turnovers in their 55-53 win over Jax State on Tuesday and forced 43 total turnovers in two meetings with Liberty.
The Bearkats rank 352nd of 353 NCAA Division I squads in three-pointers made per game (2.4). Sam Houston (71) has only made 15 more three-pointers as a team this season than the Lady Flames' Asia Boone (56) has by herself. Liberty (program-record 233) has hit more than three times as many triples as the Bearkats in 2024-25.
Sam Houston ranks fifth nationally in free throw attempts per game (22.7), while Liberty is 307th (13.4). The Bearkats got to the foul line twice as often as the Lady Flames during their pair of regular-season matchups.

Tournament Tidbits

Liberty is the No. 1 seed for the first time in CUSA and the 17th time in program history. All previous occasions came in the Big South Conference, and the Lady Flames have won 15 titles in 16 appearances as the No. 1 seed (exception 2011).
Liberty is 44-1 in conference tournaments as the No. 1 seed and 63-3 (2-0 in CUSA) when favored according to seed.
Carey Green is 58-10 (2-1 in CUSA) coaching in conference tournament games.
Liberty brings a season-best eight-game winning streak to Huntsville. This is the 11th time the Lady Flames have won eight or more consecutive games to close the regular season. They have gone on to win their conference tournament on nine of the previous 10 occasions, with the exception coming in 2023 (ASUN Conference).
Liberty will look to advance to the semifinal round of its conference tournament for the eighth straight year and the 28th time in the last 29 seasons.
Liberty has won 17 conference tournament championships (all in the Big South Conference) on the court, with the most recent coming in 2018. The Lady Flames were also awarded a share of the 2020 ASUN title (along with FGCU) after the final was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Liberty men's basketball team is also seeded No. 1 this week. This is the first time both Liberty squads have earned No. 1 seeds in the same year since 2004 (Big South). The last time both teams won conference tournament titles the same season was 2013 (Big South).

Liberty's All-CUSA Honorees

All-CUSA First Team – Bella Smuda

All-CUSA Second Team – Asia Boone and Emma Hess

All-Defensive Team – Bella Smuda

All-Freshman Team – Avery Mills and Emmy Stout

All-Academic Team - Emma Hess

Liberty had the most total players recognized (five) of any CUSA squad.
The Lady Flames put two players on the All-Freshman Team for the second year in a row, following Elisabeth Aegisdottir and Asia Boone's selections in 2024.

On This Date

Liberty is 6-1 all-time when playing on March 12.
Twenty years ago (March 12, 2005), the host Lady Flames dominated UNC Asheville 88-41 to capture the Big South Championship title and qualify for their ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament.
Liberty is 96-59 all-time in March, including 88-34 under Carey Green and 3-0 this season.

Schedule