CLINTON, S.C. - The Presbyterian College women's basketball team scored 11 points in the final 1:16 against the Liberty Lady Flames on Monday night at Templeton Center, but the rally felt short as Liberty escaped with the win, 69-64.
PC moves to 12-13 overall and 6-8 in Big South Conference play with the loss, which ends a four-game winning streak. The league-leading Flames improve to 18-8 and 13-2 in conference action.
Down 65-53 with 1:16 remaining, Sherece Smith (Clemson, S.C.) hit a free throw and Shonda Burnside (Gray Court, S.C.) knocked down a jumper to cut the Liberty lead to nine with 1:02 to play. Smith stole the inbounds pass from Devon Brown and fed the ball to Karlee Taylor (Asheville, N.C.), who converted a layup with 49 seconds on the clock.
Brown turned the ball over and the Blue Hose took advantage, as Smith got open and knocked down her first ever three-point shot to put PC within two possessions, 65-61, with 38 seconds left.
Brown sunk two free throws after PC fouled to stop the clock and the Blue Hose took the ball, down six, with 25 seconds left. PC raced down the floor and Kristen Stevens (Pickerington, Ohio), Saturday's hero against Radford, found the basket from long range to cut Liberty's lead to three, 67-64. Brown hit two free throws and PC could not hit a final shot, however, as Liberty took the win.
PC slightly outshot Liberty and converted more field goals, shooting at a 44.9 percent clip (22-for-49) to the Lady Flames' 44.4 percent (20-for-45), but Liberty went 20-for-23 from the free throw line in the second half to seal the victory.
Dria David (Lawrenceville, Ga.) led PC with 14 points on the night, shooting six-for-eight from the floor. Taylor chipped in 13 and Burnside added 10 as well.
The Blue Hose scored 23 points off turnovers, while Liberty took advantage of Brown's 27 points and 11 rebounds.
The first saw a back-and-forth battle as Liberty led at the break, 27-26. The opening 20 minutes accounted for six ties and 10 lead changes.
Liberty took its biggest lead of the half at four points with 3:31 to go, but a Stevens trey and a Devin Fothergill (Somerset, Ky.) layup after a Brown bucket cut the deficit to one.
The Lady Flames' center and Big South Preseason Player of the Year, Avery Warley, played three minutes in the first half due to early foul trouble. She tallied 11 points and eight rebounds on the night.
The second half told a different story, with runs for each side. The Blue Hose struck first, scoring seven straight points in the first 56 seconds to take a six point lead.
Liberty chipped away at the lead and tied game at the 14:59 mark at 33-33. Three ties later, the Lady Flames went on 12-1 run to lead by 11 with 7:02 remaining.
The Blue Hose shrunk the lead to five over the next three and a half minutes, but Liberty put together a 10-3 run to set up PC's furious last-minute comeback bid.
The result marks PC's closest loss to Liberty in the series history.
PC returns to action this weekend with the team's final road trip. The Blue Hose play High Point on Saturday at 4 p.m. and Campbell on Monday at 7 p.m.
