No. 1 seed Liberty (23-6) defeated No. 8 seed Sam Houston (13-16), 78-51, on Wednesday afternoon in the CUSA Quarterfinals as Liberty improves to 5-0 all-time against the Bearkats and 3-0 this season to advance to the CUSA Semifinals on Friday evening.
“First of all, our opponent, we really have admiration and respect because of how hard they play,” said Liberty head coach Carey Green. “They are never out of the game. They have played the entire season that way and that’s a tribute to a coaching staff that is doing the right things in a first class manner.”
Playing as the No. 1 seed for the first time in two years in CUSA and the 17th time in program history, the Lady Flames went on a 9-0 run to take an 11-4 lead in the first quarter. First-team all-CUSA selection Bella Smuda made her presence known as her size was a big factor early. She scored the team’s first two points and had 2 blocks before the first media timeout. The Bearkats got to the line frequently but struggled, making just 4 of 8 from the charity stripe in the opening quarter as they trailed the Lady Flames, 16-10.
Sam Houston responded quickly to start the second quarter with six straight points to tie the game. A bucket by Smuda in the paint stopped the spurt. Liberty answered to retake control of the contest with balanced scoring. The Lady Flames had eight different players score, led by freshman Emmy Stout with 8 first half points as she made both of her field goals and all four of her free throw attempts. Liberty kept pounding the ball into the paint throughout the first half and went into the locker room with a 32-24 edge, aided by holding the Bearkats to 9 of 28 shooting (32.1%) in the opening 20 minutes.
After not scoring in the first half and only attempting one field goal, Asia Boone took control in the third period. Her eight points paced the Lady Flames, as Liberty pushed its advantage to double figures, leading 53-37 entering the final quarter. Liberty would assert its dominance in the fourth quarter, continuing to extend the lead and cruise to the impressive quarterfinal win without facing significant pressure.
Sam Houston entered this week’s tournament as the top team in CUSA and eighth nationally in turnovers forced per game, causing 23.8 turnovers each contest so far this season. This included 43 total turnovers in two meetings with Liberty this year. The Flames were able to control the ball for most of the game, finishing the contest with 13 turnovers. Liberty also had a 20-9 points off turnovers advantage.
The Bearkats were held to 18 of 56 (32.1%) shooting from the field. One of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country, Sam Houston did not make a three-point shot in 10 attempts in the game.
“We worked very hard, as everyone does, throughout the season,” said Green. “Earned the number one seed, which was to our advantage because the first two quarters were extremely tight. We were battling there. As fatigue set in, that was to our advantage in the third and fourth quarters. So, the game kind of went with that. Of course, in the third and fourth quarters, we finished strong shooting high percentages. The game comes down to that, they had to play the night before, and, as the game went longer, we were able to involve our entire bench which was to our advantage at the end.”
Like usual, the Lady Flames had a balanced scoring attack with nine different players getting into the scoring column. Asian Boone led the way with 16 points, all of her scoring coming after halftime. She was 6 of 9 from the field and 2 of 4 from three. Bella Smuda had 10 points and 7 rebounds while Avery Mills added 10. Pien Steenbergen had 9, as she knocked down 3 of her 6 three-point attempts. Emma Hess also scored 9. Brooke Moore had 8 points and 8 rebounds.
Liberty improves to 45-1 in conference tournament history as the No. 1 seed and Carey Green is now 59-10 as a head coach in conference tournament games. The Lady Flames advance to the semifinal round of its conference tournament for the eighth straight year and 28th time in the last 29 seasons. Liberty will play the winner of No. 4 New Mexico State and No. 5 Louisiana Tech in the semifinals on Friday at 6:30 Eastern on ESPN+. The Aggies and Bulldogs meet in the Quarterfinals on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.
