LYNCHBURG, Va. – With Liberty trailing North Alabama by nine early in the second quarter of Sunday’s series finale at Liberty Arena, Mya Berkman went to work. She scored 10 points during a 14-0 run which gave the Lady Flames the lead for good and went on to record her first career double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) in Liberty’s 77-60 triumph.
The Lady Flames (10-3, 6-0 ASUN), who also got 17 points from Ashtyn Baker, extended a number of winning streaks. Liberty has now won nine straight games overall (its longest win streak since the 2014-15 season), 12 straight home games, 12 consecutive ASUN Conference games and 14 straight meetings with ASUN opponents.
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North Alabama (3-10, 2-2 ASUN) got off to a fast start offensively, making 9-of-11 field goal attempts during the first quarter. However, the Lions shot just 9-of-40 during the remaining three quarters and fell to 0-6 in road games this season.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Baker – 17 points, 3 assists, 3-6 3FG; Berkman – 16 points, 11 rebounds; Kennedi Williams – 8 points; Bridgette Rettstatt – 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals.
North Alabama Individuals: Jaida Bond – 22 points, 4-8 3FG, 7 rebounds, 3 steals; Hina Suzuki – 10 points, 4 assists; Sakyia White – 7 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks.
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 45.2 percent (28-of-62) from the field, compared with 35.3 percent (18-of-51) for the Lions. The Lady Flames won the rebounding battle (44-31), turning 16 offensive boards into 22 second-chance points. Liberty dished out 18 assists and more than doubled up North Alabama in both points in the paint (42-18) and bench points (31-14).
Turning Point
Jaila Roberts’ pair of free throws gave North Alabama a nine-point cushion (30-21), 8:03 before halftime. Liberty then went on the aforementioned 14-0 run as the Lions went scoreless for the next 5:18.
Berkman tallied 10 points during the run, including a fast break layup at the 3:00 mark which closed out the run with the Lady Flames now leading 35-30. Liberty did not trail again during the matinee.
Game Summary
First Quarter
• Points were plentiful during the first 10 minutes. Baker’s nine points during the first 3:43 helped Liberty take an early six-point lead.
• However, North Alabama scorched the nets at an 81.8 percent (9-of-11) clip during the first period, including 6-of-7 from three-point range. As a result, the Lions took a 26-21 advantage into the second quarter.
Second Quarter
• North Alabama tallied the second quarter’s first four points, extending to a nine-point advantage (30-21) when Roberts hit a pair of free throws at the 8:03 mark. The Lions then made only one more field goal during the remainder of the half.
• Berkman totaled 11 second-quarter points, and Liberty led 42-35 at halftime. The Lions cooled off to 12.5 percent (2-of-16) shooting during the second period.
Third Quarter
• Baker and Berkman combined for all of Liberty’s points during a 9-0 run to begin the second half. Berkman’s putback at the 7:18 mark pushed the home team’s advantage to 51-35.
• The Lady Flames later closed out the third quarter with another 9-0 run, taking their first 20-point lead of the contest (62-41) into the final 10 minutes. Liberty’s defense played well again in the third period, forcing as many turnovers (6) as North Alabama’s point total (6).
Fourth Quarter
• For the second straight day, a strong fourth quarter by Bond helped the Lions outscore the Lady Flames during the final period. Bond’s dozen fourth-quarter tallies helped the visitors score 19 points to Liberty’s 15.
Notes and Nuggets
• After tallying 18 points during the Lady Flames’ 86-63 triumph on Saturday, Baker again led the team with 17 points on Sunday. She is now just 37 points shy of 1,000 for her career.
• Baker’s three triples on Sunday give her eight for the weekend series and a career-high 25 for the season. Twenty of her 25 three-pointers this year have come at Liberty Arena.
• Berkman’s 11 rebounds set a new career high and a new Liberty Arena record. Bond had set the previous Liberty Arena mark with her 10 boards for North Alabama on Saturday.
• Williams’ eight points were the sophomore’s most this season and matched her career high.
• Emily Lytle (six points) was held in single digits in the scoring column for the first time in the last eight games. Like Baker, she is nearing the 1,000-point milestone, finishing the contest with 948 points.
• The Lady Flames’ nine-game winning streak is their longest since a 14-game streak which spanned Jan. 24-March 8, 2015.
• Liberty has won all nine games during its current winning streak by 10 or more points, and the Lady Flames’ average margin of victory during the streak is 18.1 ppg.
• Liberty is now 5-1 this season when tied or trailing after the first quarter.
• Nine points matches the largest deficit Liberty has overcome to win this season. The Lady Flames also trailed Lipscomb by nine during a 76-66 overtime victory on Jan. 3 at Liberty Arena.
• For the sixth consecutive game, Associate Head Coach Alexis Sherard served as Liberty’s acting head coach, as Carey Green continues to recover from both surgery and COVID-19.
• The home team is now 15-0 at Liberty Arena, including an 8-0 mark for the Liberty men’s basketball team and a 7-0 record for the Lady Flames.
Up Next
Liberty is currently scheduled to travel to North Florida on Saturday and Sunday for a two-game ASUN Conference series at UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. However, the ASUN schedule is subject to change.