WBB Game Day Central: Longwood
1/16/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Game Day Central
Liberty's Game Notes
Game Time:
7 p.m.
Official Tipoff:
7:05 p.m.
TV Coverage:
Liberty Flames Sports Network – TV
WFFP
ESPN3
Big South Network
Play-By-Play Broadcaster: Mike Tilley
Color Commentator: Kelley Deyo
Radio Coverage:
Liberty Flames Sports Network – Radio
WQLU 90.9 FM The Light
Play-By-Play Broadcaster: Jamie Hall
Today's Game
Liberty (4-11, 3-1 Big South) will play host to Route 460 foe Longwood (3-12, 0-4 Big South), Tuesday at 7 p.m. inside the Vines Center. Both teams will be eager for a win, following the Lady Flames' overtime loss at Gardner-Webb on Sunday and the Lancers' 0-4 start to conference play.
The "Starting Five" - Liberty's Top Storylines
1) Liberty will look to bounce back from its first Big South setback, an 84-82 overtime defeat at Gardner-Webb on Sunday. The Lady Flames, who are tied with Campbell for second place in the Big South at 3-1, have only lost back-to-back conference games twice in Carey Green's 18 seasons at the helm.
2) Liberty will look to extend several streaks, as the Lady Flames have won three straight home games, eight consecutive home matchups with Longwood and 15 straight meetings with Longwood overall.
3) The Lady Flames will seek their 200th win at the Vines Center under Head Coach Carey Green. Liberty is 7-0 all-time against Longwood at the facility and 199-35 at the Vines Center during Green's 18 seasons with the Lady Flames.
4) Liberty ranks No. 1 nationally in offensive rebounds (19.7 rpg) and No. 15 in rebound margin (+9.3). The Lady Flames have outrebounded Longwood by an average of 24.8 rpg in the teams' last nine meetings.
5) Liberty has featured a balanced offensive attack of late, as a different player has led the team in scoring in each of its first four Big South games. (Lela Sellers at CSU, Keyen Green vs. HPU, Iva Ilic vs. PC and KK Barbour at GWU)
Liberty vs. Longwood at a Glance
Series History
Series Record: Liberty leads, 22-15.
Current Streak: Liberty has won 15 consecutive meetings.
Series Record at Liberty: Liberty leads, 13-4.
Current Streak at Liberty: Liberty has won eight consecutive meetings.
Last Meeting Overall: Liberty 67, Longwood 47 (Feb. 27, 2016 at Liberty)
Last Meeting at Liberty: Same
Longwood's Last Series Victory: Longwood 95, Liberty 88 (Feb. 12, 1988 at Long.)
Longwood's Last Series Victory at Liberty: Longwood 87, Liberty 75 (Jan. 26, 1988)
Coaching Matchup
Liberty Head Coach: Carey Green
Overall Record (Seasons): 407-152 (18th Season)
Record at Liberty (Seasons): Same
Record vs. Longwood: 14-0
Longwood Head Coach: Bill Reinson
Overall Record (Seasons): 50-140 (Seventh Season)
Record at Longwood (Seasons): Same
Record vs. Liberty: 0-10
Notes and Anecdotes
• Liberty swept the two-game regular-season series from Longwood in 2015-16. The Lady Flames' 67-47 home win over the Lancers on Feb. 27, 2016 was win No. 400 of Carey Green's coaching career at Liberty.
• Longwood is seeking its first win over Liberty since Feb. 12, 1988, as the Lady Flames have won all 15 head-to-head matchups with their Route 460 foe since gaining NCAA Division I status prior to the 1988-89 season.
• Liberty is 7-0 all-time versus Longwood at the Vines Center, with all seven wins coming by at least 18 points.
• Liberty has outrebounded Longwood by an average of 24.8 boards per game during the teams' last nine meetings. The Lady Flames currently lead the Big South in rebound margin (+9.3), while the Lancers rank eighth (-10.3).
• Like Liberty, Longwood is led in scoring by a freshman. Dayna Rouse, a 6-0 guard/forward from Pittsburgh, is averaging a team-high 9.4 ppg and ranks second to Liberty's Keyen Green among freshmen on the Big South scoring chart. Rouse and Green combined to win three straight Big South freshman of the Week honors between Dec. 23-Jan. 9.
• Longwood, seeking its first Big South win of the season, has lost its last 10 meetings with conference foes played away from Farmville.
Liberty at the Vines Center
All-Time Record at the Vines Center: 270-71
Carey Green's Record at the Vines Center: 199-35
Current Streak: Liberty has won three consecutive games at the Vines Center.
Liberty's Last Loss at the Vines Center: Appalachian St. 66, Liberty 57 (Nov. 17, 2016)
Record at the Vines Center in 2016-17: 3-3 (7 regular-season games remaining)
On This Date
Liberty is 7-5 all-time on Jan. 17, including 5-2 in Big South contests. Carey Green recorded his 100th career win on Jan. 17, 2004, with a 69-58 victory at Coastal Carolina.
Competing Against the Commonwealth
Liberty is seeking its first win against an in-state opponent this season, after losing matchups with James Madison and Richmond. Prior to this season, the Lady Flames were 15-1 in their last 16 meetings with Commonwealth foes.
Liberty has four Commonwealth clashes remaining during the regular season, including two matchups apiece with Longwood and Radford.
What Can Green Do For You?
Keyen Green headlines the Lady Flames' successful freshman class. The Big South Freshman of the Week on Dec. 5, Jan. 2 and Jan. 9, Green leads the conference and ranks No. 2 among the nation's freshmen in rebounding at 9.2 rpg.
In her last 10 games, Green has recorded six double-doubles and three 20-point outings. She is averaging 15.2 ppg and 10.8 rpg over the span.
A Look Back at the Lady Flames' 84-82 OT Loss at Gardner-Webb on Sunday
• Gardner-Webb junior guard Alexus Hill scored 21 of her career-high 27 points after halftime, leading the Runnin' Bulldogs to a thrilling 84-82 overtime victory over Liberty, Sunday afternoon at Paul Porter Arena.
• KK Barbour led five Lady Flames in double figures with a career-high 17 points, including three free throws with 4.9 seconds remaining in regulation which tied the score at 73-73 and sent Liberty to its first overtime contest of the season.
• Keyen Green (16 points, game-high 16 rebounds) recorded her sixth double-double and Kierra Johnson-Graham (career-high 12 points, career-high 12 rebounds) added her first double-double. Ola Makurat contributed a career-high 11 points for the Lady Flames.
Bouncing Back
Liberty has only lost back-to-back Big South games twice under Carey Green.
New Year's Resolution
After averaging 54.9 ppg on 32.5 percent from the field and 24.5 percent from three-point range in 11 2016 contests, the Lady Flames have exploded for 78.0 ppg on 42.6 percent from the floor and 43.0 percent from beyond the arc in 2017's first four outings.
Shooting Stars
Liberty shot an impressive 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from three-point range at Charleston Southern on Jan. 3, tying the 26-year-old program record for most three-pointers made in a single game.
Fantastic Freshmen
Liberty's seven freshmen have combined to score 62.7 percent of the team's points this season, led by Keyen Green's team-high 12.1 ppg. Five of the Lady Flames' top six scorers on the year are freshmen.
Winning the Battle of the Boards
Liberty has outrebounded 11 of its last 13 opponents, including eight games of 20+ offensive rebounds. The Lady Flames currently rank No. 1 nationally with 19.7 offensive boards per game and No. 15 with a +9.3 rebound margin.
Player Trends
#3 Nene Johnson
• Will celebrate her 21st birthday on Thursday (Jan. 19)
• Spent the last two seasons at Eastern Florida State College, where she was a teammate of Longwood's Jovana Vukovic
• Leads the team and ranks sixth in the Big South with 3.1 apg
• Scored eight of her 10 points during the fourth quarter at Gardner-Webb on Sunday
• Came up with a career-high three steals against Presbyterian on Jan. 10, and paces the Lady Flames with 16 thefts for the season
• Averaging 12.0 ppg during the first four Big South games, as compared with 5.3 ppg in non-conference play
• After shooting 11.1 percent (1-of-9) from three-point range during the season's first 10 games, has made 70 percent (7-of-10) in the last five outings
• Posted her first career double-double at Gardner-Webb on Sunday, consisting of a career-high 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. She made her final six free throw attempts of the game in the second half and overtime.
• Has collected five or more rebounds in nine of her last 13 outings, including back-to-back double-digit rebounding efforts last week
• Averaging 0.9 blocked shots per game in seven contests since joining the starting lineup, including a career-high two rejections during a Jan. 10 win over Presbyterian
#12 Audrey Rettstatt• Averaging 7.8 ppg and 4.5 rpg in conference play, after posting 3.9 ppg and 2.6 rpg during Liberty's 11 non-conference tilts
• Has scored more points this season (74) than she did in her first three years combined (60)
#14 Lela Sellers
• Leads the team in minutes played (29.3 mpg)
• Averaging 9.0 ppg in her last six games, while shooting 40 percent (10-of-25) from three-point range and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) from the foul line
#21 Keyen Green
• Three-time Big South Freshman of the Week (Dec. 5, Jan. 2 & Jan. 9)
• Ranks No. 2 nationally among freshmen for rebounding (9.2 rpg) and No. 11 nationally overall for offensive rebounding (4.5 rpg)
• Tops the Big South in rebounding and offensive rebounding
• Leads the Lady Flames and is tied for seventh in the Big South in scoring (12.1 ppg), after scoring in double figures in each of the last seven contests
• Recorded her sixth double-double on Sunday, finishing with 16 points and a game-high 16 rebounds at Gardner-Webb
#24 Iva Ilic
• Leads the team with 20 three-pointers, including a career-high four triples against Presbyterian on Jan. 10
• Averaging 10.0 ppg in conference play, aided by her 50 percent (9-of-18) three-point shooting
• Dished out a career-high seven assists at Gardner-Webb on Sunday
#30 KK Barbour
• Celebrated her 20th birthday on Monday (Jan. 16)
• Played well in both meetings with Longwood last season, posting seven points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals at Farmville on Jan. 24, 2016 and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds during a Feb. 27, 2016 home win over the Lancers
• Scored a team-high and career-high 17 points at Gardner-Webb on Sunday, including 10 in the fourth quarter. She hit three free throws with 4.9 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
• Has hit seven straight free throws during the last two games and is shooting a team-best 72.7 percent from the line this season
• Averaging 8.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 1.0 bpg in seven games since joining the starting lineup on Dec. 20
• Had not made a three-pointer during her first 33 career appearances, but is 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) from beyond the arc in her last six games
#35 Ola Makurat
• Ranks second on the team with 16 three-pointers, but saw her streak of six straight games with a made triple snapped on Jan. 10 against Presbyterian
• Scored a career-high 11 points and pulled down six rebounds at Gardner-Webb on Sunday, while hitting three triples
