CONWAY, S.C. (AP) -- The top-seeded Liberty women's basketball team got a big boost before the Big South championship game from an unlikely source - Liberty's men's team. <\/p>\n
About three hours before the Lady Flames hit the floor at the HTC Center to play seventh-seeded Longwood, they learned that the men completed a four-game run through their tournament to win a Big South title despite coming into the week with 20 losses. Liberty's women weren't about to disappoint a campus suddenly primed for a double-dose of March Madness and followed up with a 54-45 victory Sunday night, their fifth straight tournament title. <\/p>\n
''Seeing that the men had defied all odds, it gave me a lot of extra energy,'' Liberty's Brittany Campbell said. ''All of us were, 'Let's do this. Let's have a double championship.''' <\/p>\n
It happened before, the last time the men made the NCAA in 2004. Now, both squads will wait out NCAA selections with something to cheer about. <\/p>\n
''It's a beautiful feeling,'' said Devon Brown, the women's tournament MVP. <\/p>\n
Tolu Omotola scored 16 points for Liberty (27-6), which will carry a 14-game win streak into its NCAA tournament site. It's the Lady Flames' 15th NCAA trip in the past 17 years. <\/p>\n
The Liberty men won four games in six days, capped by an 87-76 upset over Charleston Southern. They watched the women from behind the basket, then joined the celebration after the school's second title. All the players, men and women, posed for photos on the court before the Lady Flames cut down their nets. <\/p>\n
Omotola had nine points to spark a 17-8 run to start the second half as the Lady Flames took control. Longwood (14-19) had cut a 15-point lead to 53-45 in the final seconds, but got no closer. <\/p>\n
Ashley Rininger had 10 points, while Brown grabbed 13 rebounds for Liberty. <\/p>\n
Coward had 14 points to lead Longwood, which struggled with its shooting throughout. The Lancers' high-scoring guards Daeisha Brown and Crystal Smith, who came in averaging better than 27 points a game combined, finished with just six points on 2-of-23 shooting. <\/p>\n
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Liberty takes Big South women's title<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CONWAY, S.C. (AP) -- The top-seeded Liberty women's basketball team got a big boost before the Big South championship game from an unlikely source - Liberty's men's team. About three hours before the Lady Flames hit the floor at the HTC Center to play seventh-seeded Longwood, they learned that the men completed a four-game run through their tournament to win a Big South title despite coming into the week with 20 losses. Continue reading