Hometown heroics: Liberty commands Jacksonville State in rematch, 63-32

The Lady Flames basketball team got its revenge over the weekend as it rolled over the visiting Jacksonville State Gamecocks with a final score of 63-32. The teams met for the first time as Conference USA rivals in Jacksonville, where the Gamecocks defeated the Flames 78-63 Jan. 10.  

This time around, the Flames had one thing in mind — get back.  

“It’s get-back season,” junior guard Jordan Hodges said. “We shouldn’t have taken the losses that we have taken so far, so I hope the rest of the conference was looking at this game.”  

The Flames got hot early on, sinking eight of their 12 field goals in the first quarter. While the offense was definitely a talking point, the Lady Flames’ defense stole the show. The Gamecocks’ offense was only able to put up six points during the opening frame, their lowest-scoring first quarter of the season. The quarter ended with a score of 22-6, indicating that the Flames had already flipped the script from the first matchup.  

Liberty’s defense shined once again in the second, allowing only four points. The Gamecocks struggled to shoot the ball all day long, but the second quarter was their low point of the game, shooting only 2-11 from the field and missing both of their free throws. Liberty’s offense slowed down in the second quarter, shooting only 4-17 and scoring 12 points. The first half came to an end with the scoreboard heavily favoring the Flames, 34-10.  

“There was a lot of energy today, especially on the boards,” Flames Head Coach Carey Green said. “Jordan Hodges led us with seven rebounds, and we’re talking about the smallest girl on the floor. She was very active today.”  

Hodges finished the game with 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal.  

“It means I’m one of the big dogs,” Hodges said. “It means a lot because I have been working so hard. It may not seem like it because all you see is speed, but I have been working very hard.”  

The third quarter started on a rough note for the Flames. Only two minutes into the half, senior forward Jordan Bailey left the game with an upper-body injury. She would return to the sideline in the fourth quarter but would not see the floor again.  

“She was available to play, but why play her?” Green said postgame. “She got stitched up, and she was good to go. It didn’t seem to warrant concussion protocol. I’m glad it wasn’t something that would take her out for the next game.”  

Liberty was able to fill in for the injured Bailey, as it outscored the Gamecocks 14-11 in the third.  

“(Bailey) is obviously a key part of our team,” Hodges said. “She knows her role; we know our role. So even with her off the court, we were able to stick together and stick to our gameplan.”  

Heading into the fourth quarter of play, the Flames led the contest 48-21.  

Liberty entered the final 10 minutes with a comfortable 27-point lead, giving its bench a chance to shine. And the Lady Flames did just that — shine. They scored 15 points in the final quarter, including eight from sophomore center Emily Howard. 

The Lady Flames once again outscored Jacksonville State in the final quarter, 15-11, and won in resounding fashion with a final score of 63-32.  

“We fed off of Flames Nation,” Green said. “We had great fan support today, and we are excited to come back here next Thursday and Saturday because those are two big conference games. We hope they liked what they saw.”  

The Lady Flames are now winners of two straight games and move to 3-3 in CUSA play with an overall record of 8-13 on the season. Liberty will stay at home for its next two games Feb. 1 and Feb. 3. These games can be watched on ESPN+ and heard on the Liberty Flames mobile app.  

Weissinger is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on X