Dec. 16, 2005
Box Score
Lynchburg, Va. - The SMU women's basketball team put forth a strong effort but came up short with a 71-61 loss at Liberty Friday evening at the Vines Center in Lynchburg, Va. SMU posted its third straight loss and falls to 3-6 on the season. Liberty improves to 4-3 on the season.
The Mustangs got off to a slow start at the beginning of the first half, down 6-0 within the first two minutes of the game. The Flames increased their lead to 11-2 at the 17:25 mark. But SMU got into its offensive flow, slowly cutting Liberty's lead and eventually tying the game at 19-19 at the 7:27 mark. Senior forward Sarah Davis connected on three consecutive three-point field goals, giving the Mustangs a 22-19 lead. SMU held the Flames scoreless between the 4:23 mark and the 0:47 mark. In that span, the Mustangs scored 11 points and went into halftime with a 35-28 lead.
In the second half, SMU got four fouls in the first 2 ½ minutes of the half, including Davis who picked up her fourth foul at the 13:45 mark and Janielle Dodds with her fourth foul at the 10:11 mark. Liberty went on a 10-0 run after that point and building a 53-43 lead at the 7:48 mark. SMU kept itself in the game, matching baskets with the flames. SMU cut the lead to 61-54 at the 3:31 mark on a Juli Colli three-pointer. Liberty's Megan Frazee scored the next six points, giving the Flames a 63-56 lead. SMU had its chances to score but turned the ball over. Katie Gross hit a trey with 28 seconds remaining, cutting the Flames' lead to five points (66-61). Liberty's last 10 points were earned at the free throw line.
Top scorer for SMU was senior Kendall Shead with 14 points and a season-high seven assists. Davis finished with 12 points for the game. Dodds recorded a team-high eight rebounds for SMU. Liberty's top scorer was freshman Megan Frazee with 25 points and 11 boards.
SMU returns home for two games at Moody Coliseum next week, beginning with a contest against rival TCU Tuesday evening. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.
