Lady Flames Rebound

Warley’s 15 points clutch win over CSU

After Monday’s disappointing loss at home to Radford University, 53-62, the Lady Flames basketball team reclaimed their territory with a 63-40 win over the Charleston Southern Lady Buccaneers, Saturday.

The Lady Flames held the lead the entire game, scoring 30 points the first half and 33 points the second half. Redshirt junior center Avery Warley was the team’s leading scorer with 15 points, 13 of them in the second half.

“I’m just so happy for a win,” Warley said.

After Monday’s loss, it was important for the team to reestablish themselves for their own morale, Warley said.

“We got a lot of things straight,” Warley said. “We didn’t want to be the team that couldn’t bounce back.”

Sophomore guard Jelena Antic said playing strong defense was an important part of the Flames’ strategy as Charleston Southern is home to exceptional 3-point shooter, Katie Tull. Tull made three 3-pointers during Saturday’s game.

“(Tull) is the best 3-point shooter in the history of the conference,” head coach Carey Green said. “We have to respect that.”

Going into the game with that understanding, the Lady Flames were able to contest the Buccaneers’ 3-point field goal attempts, Green said, and keep their 3-point field goal average below 30 percent.

“I’m very pleased with our defensive efforts,” Green said.

The Lady Flames had 11 turnovers during the first half, which was something they were not concentrating on like they should have been, Green said.

“In the second half we did cut down on our turnovers. It was a focus. It was something we discussed at halftime,” Green said.

The leading scorers for the Lady Flames, besides Warley, were sophomore Devon Brown with 12 points and Antic with 14 points. Antic played a total of 36 minutes during the 40-minute game and she felt she played well offensively and defensively. She was really proud of the way her team played.

“We brought intensity both halves,” Antic said.

Green said that the starting lineup, which consists of Antic, Warley, Brown, freshman guard Emily Frazier and redshirt sophomore forward Tolu Omotola, played a majority of the game and that the team has been tightening the rotation.

“The reality…is that when you’re on the job you need to be productive,” Green said. “The reality is that we haven’t done that consistently with the bench.”

Both the Lady Flames and the Lady Buccaneers had a total of 15 fouls for the game, but the Flames free throw percentage was 88.2 percent as opposed to the Buccaneers’ 36.4 percent. The Lady Flames also made a total of 41 rebounds, 14 offensive and 27 defensive, while the Lady Buccaneers’ rebound total for the game was 31.

Saturday’s win puts the Lady Flames record at 10-8 for the season and 4-1 in the Big South Conference. Charleston Southern is now 9-10 for the season and 3-3 in the Big South Conference. Liberty’s next game will be Monday at 7 p.m. at home against Coastal Carolina.