{"id":503192,"date":"2026-01-09T07:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T07:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/503192\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T07:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T07:10:13","slug":"sam-houston-edges-liberty-in-defensive-struggle-59-53","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/503192\/","title":{"rendered":"Sam Houston Edges Liberty in Defensive Struggle, 59-53"},"content":{"rendered":"

LYNCHBURG, Va. <\/strong>\u2013 Sam Houston’s stingy defense forced 20 turnovers and held Liberty to a season-low point total on the way to a 59-53 decision, Thursday at Liberty Arena. The Bearkats have now opened CUSA play with road wins against the No. 1 (Louisiana Tech) and No. 2 (Liberty) teams in the conference’s preseason poll.
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\nThe Lady Flames (8-6, 2-1 CUSA) had won 13 straight games against CUSA opponents prior to Thursday and fall to 39-4 all-time in conference contests at Liberty Arena. Liberty got a career-high 16 rebounds from Ify Nwaobi<\/a> but lost the rebounding battle overall (40-38) and shot just 33.3 percent (19-of-57) from the floor.
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\nSam Houston (9-4, 2-0 CUSA) recorded its first-ever victory over the Lady Flames in its sixth try, spoiling their CUSA home opener. Four of the Bearkats’ starters scored in double figures, led by Deborah Ogayemi (17 points, 11 rebounds).
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\nBox Score Highlights<\/strong>
\nLiberty Individuals: Elisabeth Aegisdottir<\/a> \u2013 11 points, 3 assists; Emmy Stout<\/a> \u2013 11 points, 9 rebounds (8 offensive); Avery Mills<\/a> \u2013 10 points, 5-5 FT; Nwaobi \u2013 8 points, 16 rebounds.
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\nSam Houston Individuals: Ogayemi \u2013 17 points, 11 rebounds (8 offensive); Nyla Inmon \u2013 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals; Fanta Kone \u2013 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals; Whitney Dunn \u2013 10 points.
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\nKey Team Stats: In addition to its shooting struggles from the floor, Liberty also shot below its season averages from three-point range (31.3 percent, 5-of-16) and the foul line (58.8 percent, 10-of-17). Sam Houston hit 37.5 percent (21-of-56) from the floor, 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from beyond the arc and 71.4 percent (15-of-21) at the charity stripe. The Bearkats became the second straight opponent to outrebound Liberty (40-38), aided by 16 offensive boards. The Lady Flames collected 17 offensive rebounds of their own and matched their season high of 20 second-chance points. Sam Houston recorded 13 steals and turned Liberty’s 20 turnovers into 16 points.
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\nTurning Point<\/strong>
\nLiberty, whose last lead of the evening came at 8-6 in the first quarter, pulled within three points on three occasions during the fourth period.
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\nStout’s layup with 2:14 to play cut the deficit to 49-46. However, Liberty was unable to score on its next two trips to the offensive end.
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\nDunn then rebounded her own missed shot and converted it into a three-point play for the Bearkats, doubling their advantage to 52-46 with just 44.1 ticks left.
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\nSam Houston sealed its road victory by hitting seven-of-eight foul shots the rest of the way.
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\nNotes and Nuggets<\/strong><\/p>\n