Tag: Liberty Flames

Duke women’s basketball freshman Toby Fournier is making an instant impact

Through her first two collegiate basketball games, five-star Duke freshman Toby Fournier looks ready for a sizable role.

Duke forward Toby Fournier has only played two collegiate basketball games, but it’s safe to say the five-star freshman has answered the simple questions so far.

Fournier, a 6-foot-2 forward from Canada, signed with the Blue Devils as the No. 10 overall player in the 2024 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings from espnW, and she looks the part of an ACC Newcomer of the Year.

She scored 13 points during Duke’s Thursday victory over Liberty, her second straight game in double-digits, and ended the night with four rebounds. In the season opener against Radford, she was remarkably productive with 10 points, three rebounds, two steals, an assist, and a block in just 10 minutes.

Fournier is shooting 52.6% from the floor, and her 11.5 points per game sit tied for the third-most on the team through two games.

“You can see she’s going to be really efficient,” head coach Kara Lawson said after Thursday’s win.

It’s worth a reminder for Duke basketball fans, fellow five-star forward Arianna Roberson and Maryland transfer Riley Nelson, another former five-star talent, will rejoin the team in 2025-26 after injuries forced them to redshirt this season. The future looks exceptionally bright at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Ashlon Jackson leads the Duke women’s basketball team past Liberty for 2-0 start

Ashlon Jackson scored 22 points on Thursday night to lead the Blue Devils to a road victory over Liberty, moving Duke to 2-0 for the year.

The Duke women’s basketball notched another game in the win column on Thursday night when Ashlon Jackson led the Blue Devils to an 83-67 road victory over Liberty.

Head coach Kara Lawson and her team, which started the year at No. 11 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, put their foot on the pedal from the opening minute. Jackson buried a 3-pointer on the first possession, kickstarting a 17-4 run to start the night.

Jackson made another 3-pointer before the end of the first quarter, and Duke led 29-15 after the opening 10 minutes. The Flames clawed back in the second quarter, though, scoring 22 points to pull themselves with two by halftime.

“I love these games,” Lawson said after the game. “I love being in a road environment. How it tests your team. How it tests me. Everybody’s good when it’s good. I need to see what happens when it’s bad — how do we respond?”

Jackson and the Blue Devils responded by dominating the third quarter even more than the first. She opened the second half with another 3-pointer in the opening minute, adding eight points to the board by herself within three-and-a-half minutes.

Duke ended that quarter with a 64-50 lead after holding Liberty to 13 points in 10 minutes, and Jackson finished the night with 22 points and six assists while shooting 5/7 from beyond the arc.

Freshman Toby Fournier didn’t match Jackson’s volume, but the first-year forward put up 13 points and came down with four rebounds in her second collegiate game. Sophomore Jordan Wood, who led the Blue Devils with a career-high 13 points in their opening victory over Radford, added 10 more off the bench as well.

Duke continues its road trip on Sunday against No. 18 Maryland, a game that tips off on FS1 at 1 p.m. Eastern time.

Winless Kennesaw State shocks unbeaten Liberty in Conference USA play

Kennesaw State stunned Liberty in a wild Wednesday Conference USA upset

Kennesaw State was 0-10 against FBS schools. The Owls were 0-6 in 2024. Liberty was 5-0 and had won 17 straight games in the regular season.

In what will likely be the biggest shocker of Week nine in college football, Kennesaw State, a 28-point underdogs, defeated Liberty, 27-24 on Wednesday.

Davis Bryson led the Owls, going 16-of-20 passing for 189 yards as Kennesaw State won its first FBS game.

Kaidon Salter was 21-of-38 for Liberty.

The game had a bizarre finish. Liberty had the ball with six seconds left. It appeared as if there was one second left its play. The students ran onto the field.

The official review said there was one second left and students had to be cleared from the field.

The students calmly left the field for the last play to take place (again).

The Owls led 21-17 entering the fourth quarter. Austin Welch kicked two field goals to make it a 10-point lead.

Liberty scored with 1:49 left to cut the deficit to three points but that was as close as it could get.

“I could not  be more proud of this group of young men,” coach Brian Bohannon said. The coaches, the staff. How about them freakin’ Owls?”

Kennesaw State went into Conference USA in 2022 after being in the Atlantic Sun.

Could Jamie Caldwell’s players been caught looking ahead to next week’s conference game against Jacksonville State? It sure seems like it.

Oklahoma baseball adds Liberty Flames’ Brayden Horton via transfer portal

OU continues to stay hot on the portal trail, adding Liberty’s Brayden Horton.

The Oklahoma Sooners added to their roster via the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] on Friday, picking up a commitment from utility player Brayden Horton. Oklahoma stayed hot on the portal trail after adding pitcher Jason Bodin earlier this week.

Horton, who transfers from Liberty, announced his decision to join OU on social media.

Horton played two years with the Flames, and he has has two seasons of eligibility to work with as he makes his way to Norman. Last season, he hit .274 with an on-base percentage of .403 to go with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs.

In 2023, as a true freshman, Horton hit at a .341 clip with an on-base percentage of .471 to pair with six home runs and 40 RBIs. In the last two years, Horton has played in 100 total games and made 90 starts.

Defensively, Horton brings a .984 career fielding percentage with 361 putouts and 18 assists with just six total defensive errors across his 100 games. [autotag]Skip Johnson[/autotag] needs to replace all of last year’s starting outfielders, and he lost eight players to the draft earlier this week.

Johnson and the Sooners head into the snake pit that is [autotag]SEC[/autotag] baseball, after winning the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] regular season title outright in 2024.

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All-CUSA selection Kyle Rode explains how he is growing his game

After playing five seasons at Liberty, Kyle Rode is working to show teams his overall skill set ahead of the draft.

After playing five seasons with the Liberty Flames, forward Kyle Rode is working to expand his overall skill set to showcase to teams ahead of the 2024 NBA draft.

Rode was named to the All-Conference USA second team after averaging a career-high 14.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 38.8% shooting from 3-point range. He is one of two players ranked in the top 15 in program history in points (1,498), rebounds (627) and assists (467).

The 24-year-old emerged as a tremendous shooter with the Flames. He led the conference and ranked 29th in the country with 100 3-pointers, the fifth-most in a season in program history. His average of 3.13 3s per game was 17th in the country.

He credited coach Richie McKay for enabling him as a shooter.

We are trying to get a great shot every possession, whether that is an in-rhythm 3 or something in the paint at the rim. Coach McKay empowers the guys that can shoot to let it fly. … I had great teammates to help set me up, whether with a pass or screens. It is a fun system to play in.

The 6-foot-7 standout participated in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in April as one of the top 64 seniors in college. He averaged 11.7 points, three rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 assists on 45.2% shooting from the field in three games.

Rode isn’t projected to be drafted but has worked out with three teams thus far in the predraft process. He visited the Indiana Pacers on Friday and will have other workouts and interviews ahead of the festivities on June 26-27 in New York City.

He wants teams to know he can more than just shoot.

“I feel like my versatility is something I think can help a team playing with different lineups and guys,” Rode said. “I want to show I can move my feet, defend and be tough. I feel like, in the NBA, everybody is so skilled, so you just got to make it as tough as you can. I’m really just trying to grow that part of my game this summer. My high IQ and passing, too, is something that sticks out with my game.”

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Former Wisconsin defensive lineman transfer commits to Liberty

Former Wisconsin DL transfer commits to Liberty

Former Wisconsin defensive lineman Mike Jarvis committed to Liberty on Saturday.

The redshirt junior previously entered the portal on April 24 after not seeing much game action during his three years with the Badgers.

Related: Big Ten football 2024 season win-loss record predictions for each team after spring practice

Jarvis originally joined the program as a three-star recruit in the class of 2021. He was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 836 player in the class, No. 105 defensive lineman and No. 13 recruit from his home state of New Jersey.

His move to Liberty brings the number of Wisconsin class of 2021 commits to have entered the transfer portal or left the sport entirely to 10 of the 21 players. The only members of the class still in Wisconsin’s starting lineup are OT Riley Mahlman, S Hunter Wohler, LB Darryl Peterson, CB Ricardo Hallman and LB Jake Chaney.

Jarvis joins a Liberty program that went 13-1 in 2023 in its first season as a Conference USA member. Head coach Jamey Chadwell is considered one of the rising names in the sport and is sure to have a power conference job in the coming years.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, is still in the transfer portal searching for depth and talent along the defensive line.

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LSU softball drops Game 3 to Liberty in regular season finale

LSU couldn’t get the win on Senior Day and will instead prepare for the SEC tournament, where it will open against Alabama.

The LSU softball team ended its series losing streak this weekend, taking the first two games against Liberty. But it couldn’t get the win in Sunday’s Game 3, falling 3-1 in the regular-season finale, which also marked Senior Day.

The Flames drew first blood with a two-out RBI double off [autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag] in the second. They did more damage in the third with a two-run homer to take a 3-0 lead.

LSU tried to rally as it stranded two in the fifth, though it did get a run back in the sixth off an RBI single from [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag]. The Tigers had their chance in the seventh but ultimately left a trio of runners on base as Liberty clinched the win.

The Tigers will now head to Auburn, Alabama, for the SEC tournament, where they are the No. 8 seed. They will begin their run on Wednesday at 10 a.m. CT against No. 9-seeded Alabama.

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LSU softball clinches series win against Liberty in Game 2

The Tigers sealed a win in their final regular season series on Saturday night.

The LSU softball team lost four-straight series to conclude SEC play, but it’ll head into the SEC tournament with some momentum after it secured a victory in the final series of the regular season in Game 2 against Liberty.

The Tigers jumped out to a big lead early and ultimately held on to win 9-4.

LSU was the first to strike in the bottom of the opening frame when [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] drew a bases-loaded walk. However, that’s all the Tigers managed to reap from the opportunity.

Liberty evened things up with a solo shot in the top of the second, but a [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] single in the bottom of the inning plated a pair of runs and gave LSU the lead back.

It extended that lead the following inning after an RBI single from [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] and a wild pitch that allowed [autotag]Hannah Carson[/autotag] to score. The Flames managed to cut into that deficit a bit with another solo home run in the fourth, but it was one step forward, two steps back again.

Pleasants and [autotag]Karli Petty[/autotag] led off the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back homers, extending the lead to 7-2. The Tigers added to that lead further in the fifth with a groundout from Pleasants, which allowed them to score a run.

Liberty attempted a rally in the sixth, scoring a pair of runs on a two-RBI double, but Carson got a run back for LSU on an RBI double of her own.

[autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag], who pitched the final 1.1 innings after [autotag]Kelley Lynch[/autotag] earned the win, closed things out with three straight outs in the top of the seventh.

The Tigers will go for the sweep in Game 3, which will be on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT.

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LSU softball shuts out Liberty to open final regular season series

LSU opened the weekend in impressive fashion on Friday night.

The LSU softball team dropped its final four SEC series, but it’s looking to recapture some momentum this weekend against Liberty in its final regular season series. The Tigers got off to a nice start in that regard, taking Game 1 against the Flames in 4-0 shutout fashion.

It was a pitching duel early on with neither team scoring a run in the first four innings. But the Tigers struck first in the fifth after a pair of singles. [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] hit a sac fly, and [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] followed with an RBI double.

In the sixth, LSU picked up some insurance after a throwing error from Liberty on a sac bunt allowed the Tigers to put two more runs across.

[autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag] pitched a complete game, allowing five hits but no runs. She struck out four batters and walked none.

The Tigers return to the field Saturday night for Game 2 at 6 p.m. CT as they look to clinch the series.

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Duke moves up to No. 7 in latest D1 Baseball poll after five straight wins and a weekend sweep of Miami

Duke baseball back on the rise in latest D1Baseball poll.

The Duke Blue Devils have found their groove.

After a 4-0 week, the Duke baseball team has won its previous five games. If you look further past that, the Blue Devils won eight of their last nine baseball games.

Duke dominated Liberty midweek on the road 9-4 before returning to Durham and sweeping the Miami Hurricanes for the first time in Duke baseball history. They took care of Miami with some heroics, too, walking off the Hurricanes on both Friday and Sunday and overcoming a six-run deficit in the final game.

Duke enters week eight of the season after moving up two spots to No. 7 in the latest D1 Baseball poll for their efforts. They moved up two spots from ninth and are now knocking on the door to cracking the top five.

 

The rest of the ACC remains well-represented in the Top 25, as Clemson remains steady as the second-ranked team in the poll. Florida State is now the 10th-ranked team, while Virginia and UNC are 11th and 13th, respectively. Wake Forest, the preseason No. 1, has started to play much better and is back up to 14th. Virginia Tech rounds out the ACC’s involvement as they place 16th.

Duke closes out this four-game homestand with William & Mary on Tuesday and is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch. They return to ACC action next weekend with a three-game road series against the Pitt Panthers.