Liberty University
17-6,12-3ASUN
FGCU
22-2,15-0ASUN
Big 2nd Quarter Fuels No. 24 FGCU's 80-60 Win over Liberty
3/5/2021 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Trailing Liberty by seven points early on Friday evening, No. 24 FGCU used a 25-2 second-quarter run to seize control of the game. The Eagles went on to post an 80-60 victory at Alico Arena, wrapping up the outright ASUN Conference regular-season title and the No. 1 seed for next week's ASUN Women's Basketball Championship.
Liberty falls to 17-6 overall and 12-3 in the ASUN after seeing its five-game winning streak halted. The Lady Flames, who dropped to 0-6 all-time against FGCU, saw 18 turnovers converted into 22 points.
With its 21st consecutive victory, FGCU improves to 22-2 overall and 15-0 in ASUN play. The Eagles got another big game from presumptive ASUN Player of the Year Kierstan Bell (26 points, eight rebounds, three blocks) and racked up 28 fast break points.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Mya Berkman – 14 points, 6-7 FG, 6 rebounds; Bella Smuda – 10 points, 5 rebounds; Emily Lytle – 8 points, 6 rebounds.
Other FGCU Individuals: Tishara Morehouse – 17 points, 7 assists; Tyra Cox – 16 points, 5-8 3FG, 5 assists, 3 steals.
Key Team Stats: FGCU knocked down 12 triples while Liberty matched a season low with a trio of three-pointers made on 14 attempts for 21.4 percent. The Eagles had more than twice as many assists (21) as turnovers (10). Liberty won the rebounding battle (44-32), with 11 offensive boards leading to 19 second-chance points. The Lady Flames' reserves outscored FGCU's bench, 31-9.
Turning Point
Dee Brown's putback of her own missed shot at 8:06 of the second quarter gave the Lady Flames a 26-19 advantage.
FGCU then outscored the Lady Flames 25-2 over the next 6:15, aided by four three-pointers.
Cox made three of those triples over an 86-second span, including one at the 1:51 mark which closed out the surge with FGCU now leading 44-28. The Eagles' lead remained in double figures the rest of the evening.
Game Summary
First Quarter
• Liberty's reserves gave the Lady Flames a spark late in the opening quarter. The Lady Flames got 16 bench points during the period and shot 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the field, building a 24-17 lead through 10 minutes of play.
Second Quarter
• FGCU owned a 46-32 halftime lead after outscoring Liberty 29-8 during the second quarter. The Eagles shot 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the field during the stanza and took advantage of seven Liberty turnovers.
Third Quarter
• Berkman tallied eight points during the third quarter, but Morehouse countered with seven of her own for FGCU as the Eagles continued to add to their advantage. FGCU took a 68-49 lead into the final period.
Fourth Quarter
• Both teams struggled offensively during the final 10 minutes, with FGCU scoring 12 points on 5-of-14 (35.7 percent) shooting and Liberty tallying 11 points on 3-of-12 (25 percent) from the floor. The Lady Flames' 60 points equaled their season low, while their 20-point loss marked their largest margin of defeat in 2020-21.
Notes and Nuggets
• Berkman's team-high 14 points were the junior's most since a 16-point outings against North Alabama on Jan. 17. She is now 13 points shy of 500 for her career.
• Smuda scored in double figures for the eighth time during her freshman year.
• Lytle passed Brenda Gunsallus for 15th place on Liberty's all-time scoring list, finishing the contest at 1,082 points for her time with the Lady Flames.
• Ashtyn Baker was held to a season-low three points on 0-of-10 from the field.
• Liberty has now made 169 three-pointers this season. The program single-season record of 175 was set in 2013-14.
• The Lady Flames dropped to 5-6 on the road in 2020-21, including an 0-3 mark in Florida.
• Liberty has lost 32 straight meetings with Top 25 opponents since its 88-79 victory over No. 16/16 DePaul in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 22, 2005.
Up Next
Liberty and FGCU will meet again on Saturday in both teams' regular-season finale. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. inside Alico Arena.
