Liberty got the best of the Lady Toppers in their opening game of Conference USA play Thursday as the Flames took down WKU 77-66. 

Despite the loss, the Lady Toppers had four players in double figures. Senior guard Destiny Salary led the way with 19 points shooting 54% from the field.

Rebounding and three-point shooting paid dividends as the Flames won the rebounding battle by 16 and were lights out from beyond the arch shooting 52% from three.

FIRST HALF

The Lady Toppers jumped out to a fast start in the first quarter forcing two early turnovers resulting in three three-pointers for an early 9-3 lead just three minutes into the game. Despite a good start, Liberty went on a quick 7-0 run, ending the first quarter with a 14-13 lead.

WKU started the second quarter fast, going on a 7-0 run of their own taking a 20-14 lead. The Flames clawed back due to the tremendous three-point shooting, going five-for-nine giving them a 39-36 advantage over the Lady Toppers at halftime.

SECOND HALF

Liberty was in complete control for the majority of the third quarter jumping out to an eight-point lead due to the lights-out shooting from the Flames. The Lady Toppers rallied behind seven points from Salary with Liberty leading 58-53 going into the final 10 minutes of play.

The Lady Toppers had a hard time finding the bottom of the net early in the fourth. Liberty capitalized shooting 50% from the field to take their largest lead of the game, 72-61, with just two minutes in the game. WKU looked for a late surge and could not find anything as Liberty came out victorious 77-66. 

WKU will host Florida International on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 2 P.M. as they look to bounce back and claim their first conference win of the season. 

Sports Reporter Peyton Reid can be reached at [email protected]