CONWAY, S.C. – Devon Brown scored 25 points – 18 in the second half – and Liberty defeated Campbell 70-56 Saturday night in the semifinal round of the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Conference women's basketball championship at The HTC Center.
Top-seeded Liberty (26-6) won its 13th-straight game and will face seventh-seeded Longwood (14-18) Sunday at 5:00 p.m. in the title game. The winner will receive the Big South's automatic berth in the NCAA Championship.
Tonisha Baker led fifth-seeded Campbell (20-11) with 18 points, 5 assists and 3 steals in her final collegiate game. Monique Spry and Kiera Gaines added 11 points each for the Lady Camels, who trailed by just 5 (60-55) with 2:33 to play.
"We didn't get the outcome we hoped for, especially for our seniors, but it was a valiant effort," said Campbell head coach Wanda Watkins. "Last night, coming from 24 down to win was the most exciting half of basketball I've ever witnessed. Tonight we had that same heart and determination, but just couldn't get a break down the stretch."
A four-time, first-team all-conference performer, Brown hit 9-of-16 shots, 7-of-7 from the line and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Flames, who shot 58 percent (14-24) in the second half. Brittany Campbell and Tolu Omotola added 11 each.
Liberty started post players that stand 6-foot-3 (Omotola) and 6-foot-2 (Jasmine Gardner), then brought 6-foot-4 Ashley Rininger and 6-foot-5 Katelyn Adams off the bench. The Flames finished with a 39-22 edge on the glass and a 14-5 margin in second-chance points.
Campbell made 7 of its first 8 field goals and jumped to a 14-3 lead in the opening minutes. Baker scored 8 points before the first media time out.
However, the Flames answered with an 18-0 run while Campbell missed its next 13 shots and led 25-16 after Jasmine Gardner's drive with 8:03 left in the half.
Brown picked up her second foul and with Liberty's leading scorer on the bench, the Lady Camels scored 9 unanswered points, including a pair of threes from Monique Spry to knot the score at 25.
Liberty led 27-25 at the half; then RaeChaun Edwards opened the second period with a bucket to knot the score at 27 apiece. It was a two-possession game until Rininger scored off Brown's feed with 2:18 to play to give the Flames a 62-55 edge. Liberty hit 8-of-8 from the line in the last 1:12 to seal its sixth-straight trip to the Big South final.
Baker set a school record with her 121st career game appearance. Lauren Yesh (2007-11) previously held the mark with 120 career games played. Baker also finished her career with 1526 points, sixth on the all-time Lady Camel scoring list. She moved past Laurie Hood (1522 points from 1988-92) on a driving lay-in with 10:56 to play. Baker also finished the season with 99 steals, fourth in the Lady Camel single-season record books.
Gaines closed the season with 33 blocked shots to match the school single-season record set by Jennifer Martin in 2005.
