Valparaiso and Liberty tip off their 2024-25 women’s basketball seasons in the opener of the Total Athlete Tip-Off on Monday.
Liberty finished its first season in Conference USA last season with a loss in the conference tournament championship game to close out an 18-16 campaign. On Monday, the Flames open the new women’s basketball season against Valparaiso in the opening game of the Total Athlete Tip-Off at the John Wooden Family Fieldhouse in Xenia, Ohio. The Beacons, from the Missouri Valley Conference, were 5-25 a season ago. Liberty’s last NCAA tournament appearance came in 2018 while Valparaiso made its lone appearances in back-to-back seasons in 2003 and 2004.
How to Watch Valparaiso vs. Liberty in Women’s College Basketball:
Game Date: Monday, Nov. 4, 2024
Game Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: WZBJ – WZBJ 24
Live stream the Valparaiso vs. Liberty women’s college basketball game on Fubo: Start your free trial today!
Liberty brings back fifth-year senior Bella Smuda, the top returning scorer and rebounder in C-USA after averaging 15.0 points and 10.0 rebounds last season. Emma Hess and Asia Boone are also back. Hess averaged 13.0 points per game while Hess was named C-USA Freshman of the Year after putting up 10.1 points an outing.
Valparaiso brings back 63.7 percent of its scoring from last season, led by graduate student Leah Earnest, who averaged 16.5 points and 7.1 rebounds in 2023-24. Juniors Maci Rhoades (Radford) and Fiona Connolly (La Salle) join the program as transfers while Bella Swedlund arrives looking for her first on-court action after redshirting at Kansas in 2022-23 and missing last season at Toledo due to injury. Three other starters — Saniya Jackson, Nevaeh Jackson and Layla Gold — are back as well.
The programs have met twice before, splitting home games in 2016 and 2017. The Flames won the last matchup on Dec. 2, 2017 by a score of 61-40.
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