HIGHLANDERS, LADY FLAMES SET TO BATTLE IN BIG SOUTH OPENER

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RADFORD, Va. – Having its three-game win streak snapped in the championship game of the UM Thanksgiving Tournament against the Hurricanes, the Radford women's basketball team will look to return to its winning ways when Liberty invades the Dedmon Center for a 3:00 p.m. tilt in both squads' Big South opener, Saturday (Dec. 1).

MEET THE LADY FLAMES
♦ Preseason league favorite Liberty enters Saturday's matchup with a deceiving record as the Lady Flames have played a brutal schedule thus far. After opening in the Preseason WNIT, Liberty did a Texas two-step with No. 24 Texas A&M and defending national champion and No. 3 Baylor.
♦ Redshirt senior Devon Brown, who is fifth on the all-time scoring charts at Liberty, leads the Lady Flames in scoring with 16.7 points per game. In honor of last week's performance against Liberty's two nationally-ranked foes, Brown was selected Big South Player of the Week. Brown led all players with 23 points in a 70-55 loss against the Aggies and followed that effort with 20 points three days later in a 92-60 defeat to the Bears.
♦ Last March, Liberty captured its 14th Big South title in the last 16 seasons, posting a come-from-behind victory (81-73) in the championship against No. 2 seed High Point on the Panthers' home court.
♦ By virtue of capturing the Big South's automatic berth to the “Big Dance,” the Lady Flames were sent to South Bend, Ind. to face No. 1 seed Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish prevailed in the first-round contest, 74-43.
♦ Head coach Carey Green is in his 14th season as a head coach (all at Liberty). During his tenure, Green has compiled a 313-106 record and has led the Lady Flames to 11 Big South Tournament crowns and NCAA Appearances. The five-time Big South Coach of the Year has coached three WNBA players: Megan Frazee, Katie (Feenstra) Mattera and Avery Warley.

SERIES HISTORY
♦ The Highlanders and Liberty have a long history dating back to the 1979-80 season. Liberty leads the all-time series, 33-24.

LAST MEETING WITH LIBERTY
♦ Da'Naria Erwin Spencer matched her season-high with 27 points, but Liberty escaped a late Radford rally to hold on for a 72-66 victory March 2, 2012 in women's basketball action.
♦ 21 of Erwin Spencer's 27 points came in the second half. She knocked down a career-high five 3-pointers en route to her season-high total. Ashley Buckhannon also hit the 20-point plateau with 21 points and matched her career-high in assists with eight. It was the third-straight game the duo each hit the 20-or-more points.
♦ Liberty (21-8, 16-2 Big South) was led by Tolu Omotola and Devon Brown, who recorded 22 points and collected nine rebounds, respectively. The duo combined to knock down 21-of-27 from the stripe.
♦ Radford (15-14, 9-9 Big South) hit four treys in the final 2:36 to chip away at the lead but Liberty's last nine points came at the free-throw stripe to ice the game. After grabbing the early advantage, 5-4, with 17:05 remaining in the first half, Liberty never again surrendered the lead.
♦ The Highlanders hit 10 shots from behind the arc, tying a season-high set earlier in the year at Campbell.
♦ Each defense was aggressive in the first half as Radford limited Liberty to just 24 percent (7-of-29) and the Lady Flames held Radford at a 23 percent (7-of-31) clip.   For the game, Radford shot 37 percent while Liberty turned in at 38 percent.

WHAT'S NEXT
♦ Radford continues its ACC tour when the squad travels to Chapel Hill, N.C. for a non-conference clash with North Carolina. The Tar Heels are off to an 8-0 start, including a 77-64 win in the Preseason WNIT Championship against Iowa. UNC will have two stern tests (vs. Ohio State and at Tennessee) before it battles the Highlanders Dec. 5.

LAST TIME OUT
♦ Tied at 46 with 11:45 remaining, Miami used a 9-0 run to ignite a second-half rally that allowed the Hurricanes to push past the Radford women's basketball team, 75-58, in the championship game of the UM Thanksgiving Tournament at the BankUnited Center Saturday night.
♦ Ashley Buckhannon led the Highlanders (3-2) for the second straight day with 15 points. All-tournament selections Ayana Avery and Sarah Tabb contributed 14 and 10 points, respectively. Tabb also added a team-best nine rebounds.

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