SAN ANTONIO — The Sugar Bears will wrap up their non-conference schedule this week in the two-day Rae & Craig Blair Memorial Tournament at UTSA, taking on Liberty on Monday and Houston on Tuesday with both games tipping at 4:00pm from UTSA's Convocation Center.
The Sugar Bears (6-2) come into Monday's game looking to bounce back from a 79-45 loss at Texas Tech. They'll do so against a Lady Flames team that is just 1-6 – though won its most recent game 64-38 over West Liberty. The Lady Flames started the season with six straight losses to Duke, James Madison, Appalachian State, Valparaiso, Richmond and Navy, with the last four losses coming by an average of only 5.3 points per game.
Liberty is led by freshman center Keyen Green, who averages 9.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. She is one of four Lady Flame starters standing 6-foot or taller, with 5-8 junior guard Nene Johnson the lone exception. The Lady Flames have a total of eight players listed at or above 6 foot, with the tallest being 6-4 reserve center Molly Reagan, who averages 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
The Lady Flames are in their 18th season under head coach Carey Green, who has guided the program to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and 13 Big South regular season championships since 2000. Green is 404-147 (.733) during his time with the Lady Flames.
The Sugar Bears are seeking their 17th win in their last 21 games away from the Farris Center, having dropped only four of their last 20 to Tennessee, Louisville, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
Monday's game will be the Sugar Bears' first meeting with the Lady Flames, and the third time they have met a team from the Big South Conference, all in neutral site games. Last season, the Sugar Bears beat Campbell 57-34 at North Florida, and defeated High Point 69-56 in 2011 in Nassau, Bahamas.
Four Sugar Bears come into Monday's game averaging double figures, led by senior guard Maggie Proffitt and junior forward Taylor Baudoin – coming off an 18-point, 9-rebound performance at Texas Tech – at 12.9 points per game apiece. Taylor Strickland averages 12.3 points per game and Kierra Jordan has scored 10 points per game in her two games since becoming eligible after sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules.
Senior guard Brianna Mullins, averaging a team-high 4.1 assists per game, is one from tying and two from breaking the Central Arkansas Division I-era career assists record of 311 set by Micah Rice from 2009-14.
On Tuesday, the Sugar Bears will face another opponent for the first time in Houston, which enters the tournament 5-5, having won four of their last five, including their last two over Rutgers and Louisiana after losing 84-60 at Texas Tech. It will be the second game of the season for the Cougars against a Southland Conference opponent, having won 83-80 over Southeastern Louisiana back on Nov. 13.
Following this week's tournament, the Sugar Bears will resume action on Dec. 31 in the Southland Conference opener against Lamar in the Farris Center as part of a doubleheader with the Bears taking on Sam Houston State in the nightcap.
