Lady Flames basketball defeat North Florida Ospreys 69-53

 The Lady Flames basketball team defeated the North Florida Ospreys 69-53 Saturday, Jan. 19. This was Liberty’s second consecutive victory, and the team’s first home Atlantic Sun conference win.

The game got off to a slow start for the Lady Flames as UNF went on an 11-0 scoring run after red-shirt sophomore guard and forward Emily Lytle’s initial three-pointer to open the game. Liberty tightened up and managed to take a 28-25 lead into the half, largely due to Lytle’s 11 first-quarter points.

Liberty played great defense throughout the night. The Lady Flames held UNF to only 26.9 percent shooting from the field. UNF’s leading scorer, position and year Arianna Emanuel-Jackson, was held to 3-18 shooting. Redshirt sophomore forward Jazz Bond was the only UNF starter to shoot above 50 percent for the game.

The Lady Flames also dominated the boards all game long. Liberty grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, which continuously led to second-chance points for the team.

Senior forward KK Barbour did not score in the first quarter, but she ended with 15 points. Nine of those points came in a pivotal third quarter where Liberty truly established its lead and took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter. Barbour also added 11 rebounds, which put her over 500 for her career. 

Other notable performers include sophomore forward Bridgette Rettstatt, who also ended with 15 points. Rettstatt scored nine consecutive points for the Lady Flames to put the Ospreys out of reach late in the fourth quarter. Emily Lytle also added 14 points, and Ria Gulley scored 12 and added a career-high 8 rebounds. UNF was led by Bond who scored 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. 

This is a good win for the Lady Flames who have been struggling on the year having gone 2-3 in their last five games before the victory. They have improved their record in ASUN play to 2-3 and their overall record to 6-12. 

“Every win that we can get is a great win,” Barbour said. “We’ve struggled a little bit at the beginning, but I think we’re starting to play how our team is supposed to play. And yeah there are things that we need to work on. We’re not perfect, but I think we’ll continue to grow and work on those things and get better from here,” Barbour said. 

This was the Lady Flames’ second game since losing the 2018 Big South Freshman of the year, Ashtyn Baker to an ankle injury. 

“It’s desperate,” Green said. “We have to come together and give our very best. To finish again with a considerable number of assists, sharing the ball, and being able to put some points on the board certainly is a confidence builder for the young ladies. And I thought our defense was pretty good today.” 

The Lady Flames will be traveling to Lipscomb tomorrow to face the Bisons at 7:30 p.m.