Liberty 53, High Point 50

3/11/2006 5:38 PM

By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer

LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) - As the years go by and the championships pile up for Liberty University, the pressure also mounts on the Flames not to blow it.

Allyson Fasncht knows the feeling, and made sure the 2006 Flames wouldn't be the ones Saturday, hitting a 10-foot jumper with 16 seconds left to help Liberty hold off High Point 53-50 and win its 10th consecutive Big South Conference tournament.

``That's always in the back of our heads,'' the sophomore guard said. ``Of course, you don't want to be the team that breaks the run, but we can't worry about that. We can't let that pressure get the best of us. We just have to do what we do.''

What Liberty has done 28 straight times in the conference tournament is win.

They did it Saturday in sloppy fashion, shooting 39 percent and missing 10 of 16 free throws, but with stout defense that shut down High Point's best players.

Big South player of the year Katie O'Dell scored just six points on 2-for-14 shooting, and Leslie Cook had four after coming in averaging 23 points in the tournament.

``Nothing was falling,'' said O'Dell, whose baskets both came in the first 12 1/2 minutes. ``I really don't think they did anything to take us out of our offense. We just couldn't hit anything.''

Cook was shadowed all game by Roli-Ann Nikagbatse and took just four shots.

``What I do best is play defense,'' Nikagbatse said. ``What I was determined to do - what I did - was just shut her down. I was determined to not let her get a three up.''

The Flames (25-5) also held the Panthers (20-10) scoreless for the last 2 minutes after Candyce Sellars' 3-pointer pulled them to 51-50, and forced Ayonna Thompson into a 25-footer that missed everything as the final seconds ran off the clock.

Nikagbatse also led Liberty with 11 points and eight rebounds, and Karolina Piotrkiewicz had 10 points and nine rebounds. The Flames outrebouded High Point 48-30.

Sellars led the Panthers with 12 points and Katie Ralls had 11, and while High Point hopes to get invited to the NIT, O'Dell was emotional having come up short.

``We had the best chance of all to win this game,'' she said, her chin quivering. ``Knowing that I'm not going to be able to play any more is what really hurts.''

Trailing 30-21 at halftime on its home court, the Flames brought the crowd alive with the 14-0 run coming out of the intermission. Fasnacht started it with a jumper and 3-pointer, and Piotrkiewicz scored twice in close as the Flames took a 35-30 lead.

``It was just us as a collective group coming together and saying, `Hey, this is the championship game. We need to pick it up, all of us,''' Fasnacht said.

High Point rallied to tie it at 39 and 41 before the Flames ran off six in a row on a putback by Moriah Frazee, a steal and layup by Courtney Watkins, another turnover by High Point and a drive by Jamie Feagin that made it 47-41.

The Panthers trailed the rest of the way.