The Liberty Flames Women’s basketball team capped off the Navy Classic with a 2-0 record, finishing the tournament undefeated. Liberty faced opponents Duquesne and Manhattan to cap off the tournament undefeated. This is a big stretch of games in the recent wins the Flames have compiled over the last couple of weeks, with the last win against UVA Wise. Liberty needed these wins in order to boost its momentum after back-to-back losses to JMU and Duke, as of now though, Liberty seems to have found its footing and has seemed to rise to the high expectations that came with the team.
Liberty edged out the Duquesne Dukes in a tight battle, narrowly winning 67-60, to open play in the Navy Classic on Saturday. Liberty started with much more momentum than the Dukes did, outscoring them 20-8 in the first, but the Dukes seemed to hit a groove, outscoring Liberty in the 2nd and 3rd quarter, then both teams equaled out in the 4th, allowing the Flames to slip away with the win.
Liberty opened the first on a surge going on a going on a 9–0 run and building a commanding 29–8 lead early. That first-quarter cushion gave them breathing room even after Duquesne began to claw back. This details the explosive offense that LU holds. The question is, can the Flames figure out how to maintain this for the whole game and against tougher opponents?
This game was a solid game all around for the Flames who ended up shooting 38.5% from the field and a decent 34.5% from three, nothing eye-opening but certainly numbers that represent a trend in the right direction, yet LU did falter at the free-throw line only shooting around 46% which is a drop off of last game against UVA Wise which the Flames shot 90% from the stripe. But again, Liberty prevailed on the glass, pulling in 18 boards, creating 10 second-chance points, which has been a huge factor for the Flames this season.
LU had some big-time performances this game within the depth of this sound team. Leading them was Avery Mills, who tallied an impressive 18 points and three 3-point makes. There were three other performances that stood out, like Emmy Stout, who dominated the paint with 14 points and collected 9 rebounds. Ify Nwaobi was also exceptionally strong on the glass, gaining 13 rebounds, which was the team high. And the biggest team performance was Claudia Acin, who had 8 points to go with an amazing 10 assists that contained only 1 turnover. This game was a testament to how the leaders on this team impact the team as a whole, and this was shown as everyone stepped up, leading to a win.
The game against the Manhattan Jaspers on Sunday faired a little differently than the game against Duquesne; Liberty was able to outscore its opponent this game by a bigger margin, winning 68-56. For much of the game, Liberty seemed to be in control, leaving little doubt who the better team is, outscoring the Jaspers in the first three quarters, only being outscored in the 4th when the game was in hand. Liberty built a solid lead early by halftime; they were up 41–20. Manhattan fought back in the second half (outscoring Liberty 36–27 in the 3rd and 4th), tightening things up late, but Liberty held on to secure the 12-point win. This was the performance that was able to propel Liberty to 2-0 in the Navy Classic, cementing dominance even in a neutral site away from the Liberty Arena.
This game had a much better turnout from the field compared to the game before. LU shot 20-43, which was a 46.5 field goal percentage for the night, and also shot 42.1% from three as well as 74.1% from the stripe, solid shooting overall. They also outrebounded Manhattan 45–31, including 13 offensive boards, which led to second-chance points.
Some of the key contributors to the game were again Avery Mills, who had 24 points with 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Those 24 points were actually a career high for the young guard, who is off to a great season thus far. She also matched her career high in threes with 5. Emmy Stout complemented the perimeter game of Mills well with her dominance inside again with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and a season high 4 blocks, which is also a career high for blocks in a game for her. A big career night for the stars on this young Flames team. Ify Nwaobi and Claudia Acin were also big threats in different areas, with Nwaobi pulling in 11 boards and Acin hitting 3 three pointers along with 4 assists.
Liberty was able to perform from beyond the arc in both of these games, which has not always been true this season, with a lot of shaky shooting nights. This is something that should build with time, as these games go on, the Flames are also seeming to find their own when shooting the ball, especially when talking about players like Avery Mills and Claudia Acin. The turnover rate has seemed to decrease, which has been a thorn in the side of LU all season, leading to a lot of 4th quarter breakdowns as seen against JMU and Duke. And also, against Manhattan, in which Liberty suffered a staggering 30 turnovers, which did not stop Liberty, but is a cause for concern. This is something that is fixable but damaging if not contained, but Liberty seems to be gaining more focus as a team and more chemistry game by game. Something Liberty has thrived in lately is also bench play, not as much this tournament as they relied mostly on starters, still, this seems to be a focus of the Flames, who are looking to depend on their bench going forward as the games get more intense.
Liberty’s next opponent is George Mason, and while this opponent is out of conference, it is still important. This is a good test of playing away again and setting a tone. If the Flames can win there, then it would be a four-game win streak, setting a good standard heading into conference play. Last season, George Mason recorded arguably their best season so far, sitting at 27-6 with a 14-4 conference record, which earned them their first-ever A-10 conference championship, securing a birth into the NCAA tournament. This season is a slower start with a 5-4 record, but this is still a formidable opponent. The last matchup between the two schools was in 2008, with Liberty winning 69-54. This game will be played on Sunday, Dec. 7th 3:00 pm at George Mason.
