Jacksonville State’s Kiana Johnson darted in with 3 seconds to spare, laying the ball up and in, with the buzzer signaling the end of the game, and likely the end of the Lady Flames’ NCAA Tournament chances.
Liberty never led against Jacksonville St., who won on a buzzer beater, 59-57.
Jacksonville St. started off hot, with Johnson scoring 8 in a row to start the game. Bridgette Rettstatt finally put the Flames on the board with 5:46 to play in the first quarter, but the Gamecocks got out to nine-point lead two possessions later–their largest of the game.
Liberty’s shooting in the first quarter was abysmal. The Lady Flames shot 3-16, going 0-4 from three.
However, the Lady Flames did excel in one statistic: rebounding. Liberty tallied the second-best rebound margin (+13.5) in the country coming into the game.
Seven offensive rebounds in the first quarter allowed Liberty extra possessions, helping the Lady Flames to keep it close. Liberty went on a 6-0 run late in the first and went into the second quarter trailing by just four.
The second quarter was back and forth. Every time Liberty narrowed Jacksonville St.’s lead, the Gamecocks immediately responded. Liberty guard Jordan Bailey was able to drain a three and put it within one point late in the quarter, but Jacksonville St. scored twice to go into the locker room up 25-21.
Bailey’s three-pointer was the only one made by both teams all game. Liberty and Jacksonville St. went a combined 1-9 from the three-point line.
Liberty’s Mya Berkman scored twice in quick succession to spark the Lady Flames’ offense in the second half, cutting the deficit to one.
Later in the quarter, Liberty had a sequence with five straight offensive rebounds, but the Lady Flames failed to make anything of it.
With 4:48 to go in the third, Johnson fouled Liberty’s Dee Brown, sending her to the line with two important free throw attempts. Brown made both, tying the game for the first time since it was 0-0.
Jacksonville St. responded, pulling ahead, taking a three-point lead into the final quarter. Liberty’s Alyssa Iverson had a chance to tie it at 40-40 at the end of the quarter but her shot did not land, leaving Jacksonville St. up 40-37.
The fourth quarter was just as contentious as the first three. Liberty cut into the lead and Jacksonville St. worked desperately to hold it.
With 56 seconds remaining in the game, Kennedi Williams tied it for the Flames with a layup before Kennedy Gavin put Jacksonville St. up 55-53 with 35 seconds left.
On the ensuing Liberty possession, Brown was fouled. Unlike earlier in the game though, she was unable to tie the score, going 1-2 from the free-throw line.
Imari Martin blasted into Liberty’s paint, laying the ball up to put Jacksonville St. up 57-54 with 12 seconds to go, meaning that Liberty had to score a three to tie.
The Gamecocks did not allow this, fouling Rettstatt to send her to the line. Rettstatt went 1-2, leaving Jacksonville St. up by two.
Jacksonville St. looked to inbound the ball and close out the game, but Liberty’s Emma Hass stole the ball with 0:08 to go, giving Liberty one last chance.
Williams went into the paint, laying the ball up to tie the game at 57 with 0:03 to go. Jacksonville St. called a timeout to start with the ball at half court.
Unfortunately for Liberty, defending the paint all night was an issue, and it showed on the final possession. Kiana Johnson cut inside laying the ball up – the ball swished through the net and time expired, ending the Lady Flame’s ASUN Championship hopes.
Jacksonville State’s 59-57 win sees them through to the ASUN Championship Finals, where they will face FGCU, the No. 1 seed in the tournament and the No. 23 team in the nation.
It’s the first time the Lady Flames have failed to reach an ASUN Championship game. The Lady Flames have never outright won the ASUN Championship (in 2020 the game was not played due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic).
Liberty is now on the outside looking in for an NCAA Tournament berth. The Lady Flames are 71st in net rankings, and despite the team’s 27-4 record, an at-large bid is fairly unlikely.
If the Lady Flames do not go dancing, a WNIT bid is certainly in the realm of possibility. If Head Coach Carey Green and his squad are offered the chance to compete, they could make a deep run in the tournament.
Green did not comment on what his team’s plans are, but he suggested that his team isn’t done playing yet.
“It’s just too emotional a time to say anything,” Green said regarding accepting a potential WNIT bid. “We’ve had some super seniors, and I’m not ready for them to hang their shoes up, because I think they’ve still got something else in them, and they could leave their mark with a couple more wins or even a national championship opportunity through the WNIT.”
The team will find out where its future lies when the NCAA Women’s Tournament bracket releases on March 13 at 8 p.m. ET.
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