University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Saturday, January 21
Asheville, NC
2:00 p.m.
UNC Asheville
9-8, 3-3BSC
64
vs
54
Liberty
5-12, 4-2BSC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIBERTY | 8 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 54 |
| Asheville | 18 | 3 | 19 | 24 | 64 |
Photo by: UNC Asheville
Women’s Basketball Defeats Liberty 64-54 in Physical Game
01.21.2017 | Women's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville women's basketball team carried over the strong intensity and effort from Tuesday night's game at Gardner-Webb and used it to take down the Liberty Flames 64-54 in Big South Conference action at home inside Kimmel Arena on ESPN3 Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs (9-8, 3-3 Big South Conference) jumped all over the Flames (5-12, 4-2 Big South Conference) right from the get-go, scoring the first 12 points of the game before Liberty was able to score two. By the end of the first quarter, Asheville was on top 18-8, in part thanks to 10 points from senior Chatori Major. In the opening period alone, Major went 4-for-7 (.571) from the field, including hitting both of her three-point attempts.
Eventually in the second quarter, Liberty was able to regroup enough to mount a comeback, out-scoring Asheville 13-3 in the final 10 minutes of the first half to knot the score at 21-all at halftime.
The second half saw UNC Asheville retake the lead off a layup by Zip Scott 57 seconds into the third quarter and from there the Bulldogs never looked back. They built up the lead over the middle portion of the third, flirting with a double-digit lead with just under a minute left in the quarter.
Liberty attempted to mount a second comeback in the fourth, but the Bulldogs never blinked, keeping the intensity up on both ends of the court to secure the win.
For the game, Major led all players with 19 points, including going 5-for-7 (.714) from the free throw line. Behind her, sophomore Sonora Dengokl scored 14 points, including converting eight of her 10 free throw attempts, and Jessica Wall chipped in 11. Wall ended the game with seven rebounds, matching Scott for second on the team behind senior center KJ Weaver's eight.
The Bulldogs shot 36.8 percent (21-57) from the field and drained half of their three-point attempts (6-for-12).
The Flames, who entered the game leading the nation in offensive rebounds, were led by Iva Ilic's 16 points and Lela Sellers' 10 off the bench. Liberty shot 34.8 percent for the game and out-rebounded the Bulldogs 43-40 overall.
BULLDOG BITES
FLIPPING THE SCRIPT: Liberty may control the overall record with Asheville (52-11), but the Bulldogs have now claimed the last three meetings over the Flames with all three meetings coming inside Kimmel Arena. That streak includes downing Liberty 64-62 in last season's Big South Conference Championship game to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
MAJOR SCORING: Senior guard Chatori Major matched her season-high of 19 points in the Bulldogs' 64-54 win over Liberty. Major last scored 19 points against USC Upstate, including hitting three of her five treys and all four of her free throw attempts.
WALL BEYOND THE ARC: Sophomore guard Jessica Wall set a season-high with three three-pointers against Liberty, Saturday afternoon. Wall went 3-for-5 (.600) from three-point range en route to tallying 11 points. The 11 points are also a season-high for the point guard.
CAPITALIZING ON TURNOVERS: Saturday afternoon, UNC Asheville forced Liberty to turn the ball over 18 times. The Bulldogs turned those turnovers into 24 points and out-scored the Flames 24-9 in the category.
QUOTABLES
"What an effort by this group of ladies today. I am so proud that they continued to fight, scrape and claw against a team that plays physical and usually dominates the glass. We made some adjustments at halftime regarding turnovers and shot selection and we improved on the offensive end in the second half. Our bench was also fantastic, the energy and support from our unavailable players carries us. It's not easy to stay so engaged when you aren't able to suit up, and those kids are just as into the game as the ones on the floor." – Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick
UP NEXT
Asheville will next travel to Clinton, S.C., for a 7 p.m. tipoff against Presbyterian College on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The Bulldogs will then return home for a pair of games inside Kimmel Arena, starting with a women's and men's doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 28.
The Bulldogs (9-8, 3-3 Big South Conference) jumped all over the Flames (5-12, 4-2 Big South Conference) right from the get-go, scoring the first 12 points of the game before Liberty was able to score two. By the end of the first quarter, Asheville was on top 18-8, in part thanks to 10 points from senior Chatori Major. In the opening period alone, Major went 4-for-7 (.571) from the field, including hitting both of her three-point attempts.
Eventually in the second quarter, Liberty was able to regroup enough to mount a comeback, out-scoring Asheville 13-3 in the final 10 minutes of the first half to knot the score at 21-all at halftime.
The second half saw UNC Asheville retake the lead off a layup by Zip Scott 57 seconds into the third quarter and from there the Bulldogs never looked back. They built up the lead over the middle portion of the third, flirting with a double-digit lead with just under a minute left in the quarter.
Liberty attempted to mount a second comeback in the fourth, but the Bulldogs never blinked, keeping the intensity up on both ends of the court to secure the win.
For the game, Major led all players with 19 points, including going 5-for-7 (.714) from the free throw line. Behind her, sophomore Sonora Dengokl scored 14 points, including converting eight of her 10 free throw attempts, and Jessica Wall chipped in 11. Wall ended the game with seven rebounds, matching Scott for second on the team behind senior center KJ Weaver's eight.
The Bulldogs shot 36.8 percent (21-57) from the field and drained half of their three-point attempts (6-for-12).
The Flames, who entered the game leading the nation in offensive rebounds, were led by Iva Ilic's 16 points and Lela Sellers' 10 off the bench. Liberty shot 34.8 percent for the game and out-rebounded the Bulldogs 43-40 overall.
BULLDOG BITES
FLIPPING THE SCRIPT: Liberty may control the overall record with Asheville (52-11), but the Bulldogs have now claimed the last three meetings over the Flames with all three meetings coming inside Kimmel Arena. That streak includes downing Liberty 64-62 in last season's Big South Conference Championship game to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
MAJOR SCORING: Senior guard Chatori Major matched her season-high of 19 points in the Bulldogs' 64-54 win over Liberty. Major last scored 19 points against USC Upstate, including hitting three of her five treys and all four of her free throw attempts.
WALL BEYOND THE ARC: Sophomore guard Jessica Wall set a season-high with three three-pointers against Liberty, Saturday afternoon. Wall went 3-for-5 (.600) from three-point range en route to tallying 11 points. The 11 points are also a season-high for the point guard.
CAPITALIZING ON TURNOVERS: Saturday afternoon, UNC Asheville forced Liberty to turn the ball over 18 times. The Bulldogs turned those turnovers into 24 points and out-scored the Flames 24-9 in the category.
QUOTABLES
"What an effort by this group of ladies today. I am so proud that they continued to fight, scrape and claw against a team that plays physical and usually dominates the glass. We made some adjustments at halftime regarding turnovers and shot selection and we improved on the offensive end in the second half. Our bench was also fantastic, the energy and support from our unavailable players carries us. It's not easy to stay so engaged when you aren't able to suit up, and those kids are just as into the game as the ones on the floor." – Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick
UP NEXT
Asheville will next travel to Clinton, S.C., for a 7 p.m. tipoff against Presbyterian College on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The Bulldogs will then return home for a pair of games inside Kimmel Arena, starting with a women's and men's doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 28.
Team Stats
LIBERTY
AVL
FG%
.348
.368
3FG%
.263
.500
FT%
1.000
.696
RB
43
40
TO
18
13
STL
5
10
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
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