BIG SOUTH HEAVYWEIGHTS COLLIDE MONDAY IN LYNCHBURG

Feb. 2, 2015 :: 7:00 p.m.
Vines Center (9,443) :: Lynchburg, Va.
TV: ESPN3
Video: Big South Network
Radio: Radford Sports Network
Live Stats: Link

Liberty (15-6, 11-1 Big South)
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RADFORD, Va. – Radford and Liberty, two of the Big South's most storied women's basketball programs, are set to meet for the 63^rd time Monday at 7 p.m. inside the Vines Center in Lynchburg, Va.

RADFORD ROUNDUP
In their last time out, the Highlanders (11-9, 8-3 Big South) opened the second half of their conference slate with a 59-49 win over visiting Gardner-Webb.

For the ninth straight game, Radford held its opponent below 40 percent shooting. On the season, RU has only allowed seven opponents to shoot over 40 percent—Liberty was one of those.

The Highlanders, who suffered a 72-63 setback in their first meeting with Liberty this season, will be looking to end an eight-game losing streak to the Flames. Radford's last win in the head-to-head series, which Liberty leads 38-24, came on Jan. 17, 2011 in Lynchburg.

Ayana Avery, who dialed up 20 points in this season's first encounter with the Flames and is coming off a career-high 27 points against Gardner-Webb, is the only double-figure scorer for RU at 11.5 points per game. She is one of the Highlanders' top threats from beyond the arc. The 5-foot-5 guard has 53 3-pointers through 20 contests, which are the most in the Big South. Her 2.7 3-pointers per game also rank first in the Big South.

Over in the rebounding department, freshman Janayla White pulls down 7.9 caroms per contest. Her average ranks ninth in the conference. On top of her rebounding, White ranks third in the Big South in blocks per game, rejecting two shots per outing. In conference-only games, RU ranks third in the league with its +4.5 rebounding margin.

Paced by Aisha Foy's .414 clip from long range, Radford tops the Big South in 3-point field goal percentage (.352). Foy is one of three Highlanders who average over 30 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

SCOUTING LIBERTY
Like Radford, the Flames are one of the hottest teams in the Big South. They have won nine of their last 10 games and have not lost in their last eight games inside the Vines Center.

Karly Buer averages a team-best 12.1 points per game in her first year at LU. The Concordia, Kan., native has reached double figures, offensively, in 16 of her 21 contests. She dropped in a career-high 26 points in Liberty's 72-63 win over the Highlanders on Dec. 6. Buer crossed the 1,000-point mark for her career in the first half against Campbell on Jan. 24.

Ashley Rininger, who was a preseason All-Big South honoree, pulls down a team-best 8.9 rebounds per game. In addition, she contributes 11.8 points per game. As a team, Liberty averages 43.8 boards per contest, which rank second in the Big South.

In addition to the 6-foot-4 Rininger, the Flames also boast 6-foot-5 Katelyn Adams and 6-foot-6 Catherine Kearney on the interior. Liberty is one of just 11 NCAA Division I women's basketball programs featuring three players who stand 6-foot-4 or taller. The Flames' "Big 3" make up 39.1 percent of the team's rebounding total.

Radford will have to be careful sending Liberty to the charity stripe. The Flames lead the Big South in free-throw accuracy at 73.6 percent. This category was arguably the difference in these two teams' first meeting. Liberty connected on 26-of-31 (83.9 percent) from the charity stripe, while RU finished 9-of-14 (64.3 percent).

UP NEXT
It will be a busy week for RU, which has won eight of its last nine games. Following Monday's matchup at Liberty, the Highlanders visit Coastal Carolina (Thursday) before returning to the New River Valley to host Presbyterian College (Saturday).

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Players Mentioned

#5 Ayana Avery: G; 5' 5"; Senior

#3 Aisha Foy: G; 5' 6"; Junior

#21 Janayla White: F; 6' 2"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#5 Ayana Avery
: 5' 5"; Senior
: G

#3 Aisha Foy
: 5' 6"; Junior
: G

#21 Janayla White
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: F

Players Mentioned

#5 Ayana Avery

#3 Aisha Foy

#21 Janayla White

Players Mentioned

#5 Ayana Avery

#3 Aisha Foy

#21 Janayla White