University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Liberty
UNC Asheville Looks To Extinguish Flames In Big South Conference Championship on Sunday
03.10.2018 | Women's Basketball
2017-18 UNC Asheville Women's Basketball Media Guide
THE MATCHUP
Teams: No. 3 UNC Asheville (17-14, 12-6 Big South)
No. 1 Liberty (23-9, 16-2 Big South)
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Vines Center)
Live Stream:Â ESPN3
Radio: Can be heard on local radio (100.3 FM) or online HERE – Mike Gore (PBP)
Live Stats:Â LINK
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Looking to earn its third straight conference tournament title, third-seeded UNC Asheville women's basketball looks to extinguish the one-seeded Liberty Flames in the Big South Conference Championship on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Vines Center in Lynchburg Va.
BULLDOG BITESÂ
Last Time Out
No. 3 UNC Asheville will play for its third consecutive Big South Conference Women's Basketball Championship title after besting second-seeded Radford, 60-50, in the semifinals on Saturday, March 10.Â
The Bulldogs enter the championship game having won nine straight Big South Tournament games.Â
Khaila Webb ended the Bulldog win with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. She was a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Webb also had three assists, two rebounds and one steal.Â
Bronaza Fitzgerald finished the semifinal win over Radford with 13 rebounds and 11 points. The double-double is her 15th double-double this season and the 19th of her career.Â
Ali Trani was the final Bulldog in double figures with 10 points. Trani also grabbed six boards, while teammate Jessica Wall also corralled six rebounds.Â
Zip Scott and Wall combined for 13 points, 10 rebounds, four free throws made, four field goals made and two assists.Â
UNC Asheville ended the win over the Highlanders shooting 51.1 percent (23-of-45) as a team, and Radford ended its loss to the Bulldogs shooting 33.9 percent (20-of-59) as a team.Â
Scouting the Flames
Liberty enters the Big South Conference Championship with a 23-9 overall record with an unblemished 14-0 mark inside the Vines Center. The Flames posted a 16-2 Big South mark during the regular season and are currently on a seven-game winning streak.
The Flames are led by three key players - Keyen Green, KK Barbour and Ashtyn Baker. Green paces the Flame offense with 13.2 ppg (points per game) and defense with 6.4 rpg (rebounds per game). Barbour averages 9.8 ppg, while Baker is right below 8.0 ppg with 7.9 ppg.
In Liberty's last game versus High Point during the semifinals of the Big South Championship, the same three Lady Flames posted double digits in points. Green tallied 18, while Barbour connected with 15 and Baker totaled 14. In the quarterfinal round versus Charleston Southern, Barbour had a game-high 18 points, while Green posted 12 total points.
All-Time History Versus Liberty
Sunday's contest marks the 67th all-time meeting between the two clubs, as Liberty leads the series, 54-12.
In the most recent matchup, Liberty won 53-48 in the Vines Center. The five-point loss was the Bulldogs first road Big South loss on the year. Also in that game, Webb scored her 1,000th career point. She finished the game with 10 total points on 3-for-10 shooting. Fitzgerald paced the Bulldogs, as the senior center dropped 18 points on 8-for-11 from the field. Freshman Nadiria Evans collected eight points, as the Gainesville, Fla. native made four field goals. For Liberty in the game, Green totaled 18 points, while Baker added 12 points.
In the two head-to-head regular-season games this year, Webb has averaged 16.5 ppg and 2.5 rpg. Fitzgerald is the other Bulldogs in double figures, as she averaged 11.5 ppg in the two regular-season contests. The Bulldogs' key to success in the two games this year was forcing 36 Liberty turnovers and only turning the ball over 20 times.
Watch Party Information
Obviously, with the game being played at Liberty's facility, the Bulldogs would truly appreciate as many fans as possible at the Vines Center on Sunday. Tickets are still available HERE.
For those unable to make the game in person, UNC Asheville is also holding a Watch Party in Asheville in the Ingles Mountain View Room at the Sherrill Center.
Doors open at 1 p.m. on Sunday for the viewing party at the Sherrill Center.
How To Follow The Game Live
The game at Liberty will be streamed on ESPN. The ESPN3 link can be found by clicking HERE. The game can also be heard locally on the radio on REWIND 100.3 or online by clicking HERE. Live stats will also be available, and the link can be found by clicking HERE.
