Reah P. Nicholson 02/04/10
NCCU suffers 20-point loss to Liberty
LYNCHBURG,
Va. – The North Carolina Central University Lady Eagles (7-14) suffered
a 20-point loss to the Liberty University Lady Flames Thursday evening
in the Vines Center, following a second half rally that lifted the Big
South powerhouse to a 64-44 victory over the Lady Eagles.Joanna Miller and Latoya Bennett anchored the Lady Eagle offense with both scoring in double digits. Miller notched the 18th double-digit performance of her career with a team-high 14 points. For the third time this season, Miller was held without a 3-point basket. Bennett added 10 points to go along with six rebounds and four steals.
Sophomore guard Danielle DeBerry totaled seven points and dished four assists on the offensive end, while hitting 3-for-4 from the charity stripe. Shanise Blanks, who is known to light it up from behind the arc, was a perfect 2-for-2 from long range to collect six points on the night.
NCCU, who stayed within 10 points of Liberty for the majority of the first half, played aggressive on the defensive side of the ball, playing a zone that caused trouble for the Lady Flames. The Lady Eagles forced 21 turnovers and had a game-high 11 steals.
Liberty, who sits among the top of the Big South Conference, showed why they are one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, out-rebounding NCCU, 38-21, and using its height advantage to dominate in both points in the paint and second chance points.
The Lady Eagle defense held Big South Player of the Week and Liberty leading scorer Devon Brown to only 10 points, but it allowed forward Avery Warley to fill in the gaps. Warley notched a double-double with a game-high 16 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman Danika Dale stepped up to recorded a career-high 15 points.
Liberty jumped out to a 5-0 lead within the first two minutes of play with both baskets coming from the hands of Brown. NCCU quickly got within one at the 17:02 mark before the Lady Flames extended their lead to three. Bennett hit a 17-footer to cut the deficit to 7-6 before Liberty took a 4-point lead.
The Lady Flames held the Lady Eagles without a field goal for the next 3:32 with their only two points within that time frame coming from the free throw line. A jumper by J’Mia Pollock ended the Lady Eagles’ drought and put NCCU back within four, but that was as close as the Lady Eagles would come.
For the next five minutes of play, Liberty went on an 11-2 run to take a 13-point lead, its largest lead of the half. The Lady Eagles fought back to trim the deficit to nine before the Lady Flames scored a few more baskets to take a 10-point lead going into the break. NCCU trailed 30-20 at halftime.
The second half didn’t get any better for the Lady Eagles who managed to stay within 10 for the first 4:00 of play. Back-to-back free throws by Miller got NCCU within six as they scored the first four points of the half. A 7-6 run by the Lady Eagles within the next 5:34 trimmed the deficit to nine, giving NCCU hope.
Liberty started to show their strengths at the 7:38 mark, where they took a 13-point lead. Both teams played tough defense with neither team scoring for the next 2:27 when the Lady Flames sparked a 9-2 run that extended their lead to 20 with the Lady Eagles getting only two free throws within the last 5:11 of play.
NCCU shot 37.8 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from the free throw line on the night as they struggled to find the 3-point shot, hitting only 18.2 percent from behind the arc. The Lady Eagles put on their best offensive performance in the second half, where they shot 40.9 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from 3-point land. They stayed consistent at the foul line through both halves, shooting 66.7 percent in both stanzas.
The Lady Flames shot 50.0 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from behind the arc. NCCU put on a better showing from the stripe as Liberty hit only 61.5 percent. The second half was better for Liberty as well as they shot 53.8 percent from the field in the second half, but were held scoreless from the 3-point line.
NCCU drops to 7-14 on the season with eight games remaining in the season. Liberty improved to 17-4 on the season and extended its winning streak to 10 as they conclude non-conference action. The Lady Flames also jumped to a 1-0 lead in the series with the Lady Eagles, taking away a victory in their first meeting.
The Lady Eagles are coming to the end of their six-game road swing with two road games remaining until they return home. NCCU will hit the hardwood next week when they travel to Rock Hill, S.C. to battle another Big South opponent in the Winthrop Eagles. The Battle of the Eagles will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 9 in the Winthrop Coliseum with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.