LU notebook: Flames get physical

HIGH POINT, N.C. — Liberty built its substantial first-half lead in Sunday’s Big South tournament championship game thanks to bruising, physical play.

A little too physical for Gardner-Webb coach Rick Reeves’ tastes, it seems.

“We were disappointed with the first half,” he said. “I thought we had three good officials who called a good game. But the biggest thing I was worried about was letting Liberty play physical. In the first half, they just beat the snot out of us.

“In a game like that, 22 fouls were called. It should have been 40.”

Both teams dealt with foul trouble. Liberty committed 22 fouls, and point guard Amber Mays fouled out. Gardner-Webb committed 20.

At-large for Bulldogs?

According to RealtimeRPI.com, Gardner-Webb entered Sunday’s game ranked No. 63 in the RPI and will probably drop a few spots after losing to Liberty, which was ranked No. 89.

Gardner-Webb will hold out hope that winning 28 games, including a victory at Big 10 member Purdue, will be enough to get the Bulldogs in the NCAA at-large conversation. The 2008 bracket, though, indicates that the Bulldogs likely have no shot at making the field.

Liberty won 28 games that season and had some hope of gaining an at-large had it lost to Radford in the Big South title game. The Flames won, rendering the point moot. Liberty had an RPI near No. 20 and was criminally underseeded at No. 12.

“I really feel like we deserve to be in the NCAA tournament,” Reeves said. “But that’s out of my hands. I do appreciate our commissioner (Kyle Kallander) going to bat for us. Unless he can someone like on that commercial, you know, Mr. Deal, somebody who can threaten, I don’t know how much power Kyle can have.”

Fun years ahead

Liberty only loses Mays from this year’s team. Gardner-Webb’s lone graduates are Margaret Roundtree — who was the Big South’s player of the year — and reserve guard Meranda Burnett.

The Flames and Bulldogs have played six competitive, entertaining games in the last two seasons, with Liberty coming out on top four times. The growing rivalry should continue with most of the key players coming back for both squads.

“It’s going to be a battle,” Liberty’s Devon Brown said.

Dribbles

The Flames have never lost in a Big South tournament championship game. … Brown scored seven of Liberty’s final eight points. … In LU’s last four title-game appearances, the Flames have won the four games by a combined eight points. … After shooting 7-for-29 (24.1 percent) in the first half, the Bulldogs shot 15-for-28 (53.6 percent) after halftime. … Dymond Morgan was the only Liberty player who didn’t shoot at least 50 percent Sunday, going 1-for-3. … All-tournament team: Brown (MVP), Mays, GWU’s Dominique Hudson, GWU’s Margaret Roundtree, High Point’s Shamia Brown and Winthrop’s Shanice Cole.