We’re live today from High Point’s Millis Athletic Center, a 2,500-seat gym that’s just about right for a women’s basketball tournament. The place probably won’t even be half full for the tipoff, which isn’t surprising since the teams are Liberty and Gardner-Webb. Though when the home team played yesterday, and lost to Gardner-Webb, there were less than 1,000 folks in the building.

Anyway, let’s get to the elephant in the room. Gardner-Webb coach Rick Reeves was the architect of Liberty’s women’s basketball dynasty. He led the Flames to a perfect regular season in 1997-98. He helped Liberty land its first NCAA tournament bid. When he left, Carey Green took over and continued the tradition Reeves helped establish.

When I interviewed Reeves in January prior to the LU-Gardner-Webb game in Lynchburg, he admitted that games against the Flames were going to be difficult for him, and understandably so. I can’t imagine what’s going through his head today. It’s a huge day for his program. Gardner-Webb is playing for an NCAA tournament berth for the first time since moving to Division I. But Liberty certainly still means something to him. It adds some intrigue to the matchup.

Some pre-game notes first, and I’ll give updates throughout the game at media timeouts. If anybody has any questions or comments, feel free to e-mail at .

* Most of the crowd that did arrive is pro Liberty. Former Flames standout Katie Feenstra is here with her husband.

* Gardner-Webb forward Laura Povilonyte is not dressed. She hasn’t played in the tournament and won’t play today. Povilonyte, who played prep basketball locally at Holy Cross, averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this season, so her absence is an important one.

* Megan Frazee is playing in a different league than the rest of the Big South right now. She’s one of the most complete basketball players the Big South has ever seen. She should have been the unanimous player of the year in the conference. In her two first tournament games, Frazee has shot 23 for 33 from the floor and has pulled down 24 rebounds. Frazee had 26 points and 12 rebounds in last year’s title game against Radford.

* Liberty seems to be a consistent No. 13 seed in ESPN.com’s bracketology projections. Should LU lose today, it will play in the NIT next week, and LU has put in a bid to host a home game should it fail to make the NCAA tournament.

Alright, it’s about time for tip-off. I’ll be back in a bit with an update.

UPDATE—Liberty 5, Gardner-Webb 4 (15:51 left in first)

Both teams are playing a little tight early on, missing some easy baskets. Liberty’s Amber Mays just picked up her second foul, meaning more minutes for backup point guard Rachel McLeod, who scored eight points in Saturday’s semifinal victory. I know it’s a cliche, but Liberty doesn’t want to let Gardner-Webb hang around here today. LU is clearly the superior team, but in a one-game situation, if you give the underdog hope, it tends to be bad news.

UPDATE—Liberty 11, Gardner-Webb 8 (11:57 left in first)

Megan Frazee has two fouls now for Liberty, the second coming on a horrendous charge call. Of course, game officials responded by making an equally terrible make-up call on the other end, giving Gardner-Webb’s Dominique Hudson a foul for, it seems, breathing on Liberty’s Rachel Hammond. Liberty misses Mays right now. McLeod just isn’t as athletic and the Flames lose a little something when Mays can’t get in the game and create. Gardner-Webb is finding soft spots in the middle of Liberty’s zone, but the Bulldogs aren’t hitting shots.

UPDATE—Gardner-Webb 21, Liberty 15 (7:21 left in first)

McLeod must have somehow heard that I trashed her ability to take someone off the bounce. Right after I posted that, she juked a Gardner-Webb defender and head-faked another for a pretty finish at the rim. Liberty got into the bonus at the 10:35 mark, not a good sign for a GWU team that isn’t deep to begin with. Courtney Epps is single-handedly keeping the Bulldogs in this thing. She’s hit three 3-pointers so far. GWU has scored the last 10 points, but LU coach Carey Green is keeping Megan Frazee on the bench. Frazee keeps looking up at him, almost pleading to get back in the game. Liberty’s offense has no flow without her. GWU can just play man on everyone with her on the bench.

UPDATE—Gardner-Webb 22, Liberty 19 (3:45 left in first)

Megan Frazee back into the game at the 5:41 mark. Moriah Frazee, meanwhile, is nowhere to be found in this game. She needs to get involved offensively to take a little pressure off her sister. Gardner-Webb just put Liberty in the double bonus. The Flames are shooting in the 33-percent range, but they’re still right in this thing. Megan Frazee back out at the 4:02 mark. She’ll probably sit out the rest of the half to avoid that third foul.

UPDATE—Gardner-Webb 28, Liberty 23 (halftime)

Ugly first half for Liberty, especially defensively. Liberty isn’t defending the perimeter well at all, and Courtney Epps is making it pay. She’s hit four 3s. The first five minutes of the second half will be interesting. I assume Megan Frazee will come out and try to dominate the game herself. If she picks up her third foul early, she needs to stay on the floor. Liberty just isn’t a very good offensive team without her. LU needs to adjust and defend the perimeter. The Bulldogs can’t score down low man-to-man against Liberty’s taller post players.

UPDATE—Liberty 31, Gardner-Webb 30 (15:36 left in the second)

Megan Frazee picks up her third foul in the first minute of the half on another brutal call. On the next possession, Moriah Frazee played the exact same defense as Megan did and no foul was called. The game has been called very inconsistently so far, and that’s disappointing for a championship game. Gardner-Webb should be commended on its defense tonight. The Bulldogs are more or less playing straight man, and their guards are staying right with LU’s guards, not allowing any penetration and kickouts. Liberty regained the lead on a Megan Frazee 3, and Moriah Frazee hit a long jumper with time winding down on the shot clock to make it 31-30. This one looks like it’ll be a fight to the end, folks.

UPDATE—Liberty 39, Gardner-Webb 35 (11:05 left in the second)

Gardner-Webb didn’t hit a second-half field goal until LaTroya Pope hit a 14-foot jumper with 12:50 left. Moriah Frazee has gotten involved in Liberty’s offense, and that’s a big reason why the Flames have started to get into a bit of a groove. Avery Warley has done a fine job on the glass tonight, and she just set a great clearout screen on the baseline that allowed Amber Mays to sneak in for a layup. Fouls are 5-5 in the second half now.

UPDATE—Liberty 47, Gardner-Webb 37 (7:30 left in the second half)

The Flames finally pulling away a bit here. Megan Frazee picked up her fourth foul (good call, FWIW) with about nine minutes left, but Liberty’s getting big hustle contributions from senior Rachel Hammond, who mixed it up with the forwards for a big offensive rebound and putback. Looks to me like GWU is starting to run out of gas a bit on the offensive end. Epps hasn’t been an offensive factor in the second half, so nice job on Carey Green’s part in making an adjustment. I’ll have one more update at the four-minute media.

UPDATE—Liberty 47, Gardner-Webb 41 (3:55 left in second)

Breynna Winkler averages 1.2 points per game, so it makes perfect sense that she’d make an appearance late in Gardner-Webb’s most important game of the season and hit two huge baskets to help the Bulldogs stay in it. She’s brought a great deal of defensive energy to the game, too. Nice move by Rick Reeves to get her in. Megan Frazee back in with 4:13 left. Should be a heck of a finish.