After a seven point deficit in the first quarter, the Liberty Hurricanes worked their way back to a 44-39 victory over Easton last Wednesday.

"We were forcing shots, not passing the ball a lot, and not really doing well on the defensive end [in the first quarter]," said Liberty forward/guard, Nicole Amann.

"I remember our coach [Becky Soto] telling us we weren't playing the way we should be. We're too athletic to be letting them beat us," Amann said.

The Hurricanes' game against the Red Rovers was their first without senior starter, Kali Shumock, who is injured.

"Her defense is a big part, so we had to play tight and, offensively, find the open shots," said Amann.

Liberty sophomore, Madison Capuano, led the Hurricanes in scoring with 16 points, followed by Amann, who added 13.

"I had wide open range at times, and we were all doing pretty good after the first quarter," Amann said.

The Hurricanes and the Red Rovers were even in the second quarter, scoring eight points apiece, but Liberty's biggest break came in the third and fourth quarters when they scored 16 and 17 points, respectively.

"I was surprised by Easton, but I felt like we had to get used to being without Kali. We needed a spark to get us started, and our momentum took over from there," said Amann.

Last Friday, the Hurricanes got off to another slow start against Freedom, but later prevailed 52-43.

"Once our defense started picking up, Freedom stopped getting shots. [Offensively], I just feel like we didn't want to force anything," said senior guard, Gabby Pastor.

The Hurricanes exploded offensively with 18 points in the second quarter.

"We were working the ball faster, and our defense picked up. A lot more happened in the second quarter," Pastor said.

Liberty held a 26-17 lead at halftime.

"We were content, but we weren't completely satisfied, and we knew we had to bring something else to the table to make it a better game," said Pastor.

Capuano led the Hurricanes again, scoring 14 points. Kay West had 13 points, Amann scored seven, and Pastor added five, including a three pointer.

"I had a wide open shot," Pastor said.

In the end, it was the rivalry win that meant the most to the Liberty seniors.

"It was great. I don't like to lose," said Pastor.

For the Patriots, Brenna Dosedlo scored 15 points, and Tori McCaslin scored 14.