Flames women’s basketball finishes its season as it defeats EKU 90-77

A chorus of “Happy Birthdays” echoed through Liberty Arena while the Lady Flames surrounded a dancing Mya Berkman fresh off a 90-77 victory over EKU Saturday night. 

Berkman had plenty of reason to celebrate. Not only was she turning 23, she spent much of the evening snatching missed shots out of the air on both ends of the floor. 

In her final regular season home game, Berkman set a new career-high for rebounds (18) and led all scorers with 20 points to record her 17th career double-double. 

“I think we got a couple stops, and then I think we just ended up finishing well. Rebounding’s a big one, and we got a lot more possessions than they did,” Berkman said. “Coach Green always is talking about rebounding, and I feel like we finally did what he wanted us to do with the rebounding aspect.”

“That’s the hardest-working woman I’ve ever seen in my life, and it’s been an absolute pleasure playing with her,” redshirt senior guard Dee Brown said regarding Berkman. “She’s going to go far because she just has that mentality, she has that hunger, she has that grit and that pure will to win.”

“She’s got a bright, bright future, and she’s taken the opportunity that Liberty has given her and grown, not only in the game of basketball but in her life and spiritual life,” Flames Head Coach Carey Green added. “I’m proud of her and her growth, especially having a record-setting rebounding day on her birthday. I don’t think she’s going to forget that.”

The Lady Flames scored a season-high 90 points en route to a hearty defeat of Eastern Kentucky to extend their win streak to 13 games and earn win No. 20 on the season. 

The early game was more of a tight contest than the way the game ended, as Liberty and Eastern Kentucky traded baskets to stay nearly even in the first quarter. Brown, who has a history of playing well against the Colonels, scored nine of her 17 points from long-range to jumpstart a nice scoring run for the Flames that helped them pull away from the Colonels.

“Honestly, I just wanted to come out and set the tone by being aggressive, just being a leader on the court,” Brown said. 

The Colonels responded with two separate 8-0 runs late in the second quarter, but the Lady Flames finished with an emphatic block from redshirt sophomore center Bella Smuda and a buzzer-beating 3 from freshman guard Pien Steenbergen to push the Flames’ halftime lead to 10.

Midway through the third quarter, Berkman took over on both ends of the court, and the Lady Flames extended a lead that would eventually become insurmountable for the Colonels. 

Liberty, led by Berkman, dominated in the paint, scoring 42 points in the paint and grabbing 54 rebounds. The Flames’ bench also made significant contributions, adding 21 points to the starters’ total.  

With their victory, the Lady Flames move to 20-7 on the season, riding a 12-game win streak into their final regular-season game at Bellarmine March 1. 

“If you’re a basketball junkie, we’re going to see you probably every night of the week out here,” Green said. “We’re blessed to be able to host, (and) we hope the community, Flames Nation, comes out. It’s an exciting arena, one of the best in the country.”

The Lady Flames will return to Liberty Arena at least once more to host an ASUN Quarterfinal game on March 5.

Barnes is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on Twitter