Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC— Liberty outscored Winthrop 21-5 over the first nine minutes of the game and the Lady Eagles never recovered as they fell to the Flames, 70-33, Saturday evening in Big South Conference women's basketball action.
Winthrop drops its second straight game and falls to 9-10 overall and is under .500 in league play for the first time this season at 3-4. Liberty improves to 12-8 overall and is now 7-1 in the Big South.
The two teams traded baskets to open the game and the score was tied at 5-5 at the 17:44 mark after Mary Hathaway drilled a three. However, things turned south quickly for the Lady Eagles and Liberty took advantage for a 16-0 run. The scoring drought ended on an Ashley Cox jumper, but the Flames did not let up.
TaQuoia Hammick made it a 16-point game with 5:53 left in the first half, but Liberty outscored the Lady Eagles 12-3 the rest of the way for a 27 point halftime advantage. Winthrop managed to shoot just 19 percent from the floor in the first half and tied a season-low for points in the first half with 10. Liberty was hot from everywhere as it finished at 50 percent in the first half, including 6-for-11 from behind the arc.
The Lady Eagles shot the ball better in the second half, compared to the first half at 33 percent, but Liberty was even better from the field at 63 percent.
Devon Brown led all scorers with 15 points as she was 5-for-9 from the field and 4-for-7 from three and also had five rebounds and three steals. Tolu Omotola was 5-for-7 from the field and finished with 11 points and seven rebounds while Jelena Antic also had 11. There were 12 different players that scored for the Flames.
Defensively, Winthrop allowed the most points since Nov. 27, when it gave up 70 points to Lander.
Hammick led Winthrop with 12 points as she was 6-for-12 from the field and also had four rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Winthrop's guards struggled from the field as they combined for 3-for-26 from the field. Katie Fitzgerald had six points off the bench while Hathaway had five points, four rebounds and three steals.
Winthrop will remain at home and host Coastal Carolina on Monday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. while Liberty will stay on the road as it visits Gardner-Webb on Monday at 7 p.m.
