Lady Flames survive in double OT against CSU

After Liberty’s women’s basketball team beat Charleston Southern, 77-69, in double overtime Saturday at the Vines Center, two trains of thought emerged.

The first: The Flames were extremely fortunate to escape with the victory, considering CSU had possession in its own end in the closing seconds of the first overtime session. Liberty led by 13 twice, once in each half of regulation, and it couldn’t find a way to close out the feisty Buccanneers.

The second: This sort of test was good for a Flames team that was rarely challenged during the first nine games of their current 10-game win streak.

“I was surprised with how calm we were,” said Liberty forward Avery Warley, who grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds, a mark that tied the Vines Center record set by Theresa Bream in December 1992. “Everybody had confidence. Nobody was freaking out. I’m really proud of my team and the way we handled it.”

The Flames (16-7, 11-1 Big South) led 45-32 with 11:13 left after Tolu Omotola knocked down a pair of free throws. But that wasn’t enough cushion against a CSU team that leads the conference in 3-pointers made per game. The Buccaneers (14-9, 7-5) finally got going behind the arc, with Kirklin Kirkpatrick, Shannon Sanders and Kiki Rutledge all knocking down 3s. In less than two minutes, CSU trimmed the deficit to four points.

CSU’s leading scorer, Rachelle Coward, was mired in a shooting funk all afternoon. But she came alive down the stretch, giving CSU its first lead with a layup with 2:16 left. Her 3-pointer with 1:08 left put the Bucs up 56-53. With the momentum completely on CSU’s side, it appeared the Buccaneers were in prime position to snap a 17-game losing streak to LU at the Vines Center.

But the Flames showed poise on their next possession. They turned the ball over 28 times Saturday, with several of them coming on offensive fouls due to illegal screens. After Coward’s 3, though, Liberty executed a double screen down low to perfection, with Omotola and Warley allowing Reagan Miller an unobstructed look from the right corner. With 51 seconds left, Miller drained the 3, tying the game at 56.

The maddening part for the CSU coaching staff was that Miller, who went 5-for-9 from 3-point range and scored a career-high 23 points, found a way to get open. As the play began, one CSU assistant coach shouted, “Know where the shooter is!”

The Bucs knew where she was. But with Liberty executing the screen to perfection, they were powerless to stop her.

“I’m definitely going to give the credit to the two posts right there,” Miller said. “They screened that girl, and I had a wide-open shot. All I had to do was knock it down.”

Devon Brown had a look to win it in regulation, driving left and taking a mid-range jumper that floated over and past the basket, forcing overtime. The Flames led 66-63 after Brown hit two free throws with 16.2 seconds left in overtime. CSU, which went 13-for-40 from 3-point range, looked to Coward to tie. With 4.7 seconds left, Coward launched a 3, but Liberty’s Danika Dale fouled her. Coward hit all three free throws to tie the game.

Liberty turned it over on the inbounds play after the free throws, but Dale stole the ball as time expired to send the game into a second overtime, marking the first time in more than eight years that the Flames had played two extra sessions.

Dale, who scored 12 points and had a career-high seven assists, hit a 3 from the right corner to open the second OT, and Liberty led the rest of the way. The Flames outscored the Bucs 11-3 in the second overtime.

“I thought we had a lot of energy early on,” Liberty coach Carey Green said. “We came out a little flat in the second half and gave them opportunities. … We weren’t really sharp and they just gradually got back in the game. We had to respond back. I’m glad to get this one in a hard-fought ball game. It should be a confidence builder.”

Despite shooting 6-for-25 from the floor, Coward led the Bucs with 22 points. Five Liberty players scored in double figures: Miller, Warley (14 points), Dale, Brown (12) and Omotola (11). The Flames outrebounded CSU 60-30.