LYNCHBURG, Va.  – Emily Lytle scored a team-high 20 points to lead Division I Liberty University (15-5) to a 73-65 win over Shepherd University in exhibition game action at Liberty on Sunday afternoon. 

Lytle hit on 7-of-8 field goals with a 3-of-4 effort from beyond the arc. She was 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. 

Senior forward Sydney Clayton (Frederick, Md./St. John's) led the Rams with a game-high 22 points.  

Sophomore guard Abby Beeman (Ridgely, W.Va./Frankfort) added 20 points and game highs of nine rebounds and seven assists. Senior guard Marley McLaughlin (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield) was also in double figures with 11 points. 

The Flames got 15 points from Bella Smuda and 13 from Kennedi Williams. 

Shepherd had an 18-10 lead after the first quarter. The Rams led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter, but saw that lead diminish to a 34-32 advantage at the half. Clayton led the Rams with 14 first half points, while Beeman and McLaughlin each had eight. 

The Flames shot nearly 60 percent from the floor in the third quarter and took a 55-48 lead into the final stanza. The Rams cut the lead to four points at 60-56 with 7:19 left in the game after a three-pointer by Beeman but would get no closer. 

Shepherd shot 42.3 percent (22-52) from the floor with a 29.2 percent effort (7-24) from three-point range for the game. The Rams connected on 73.7 percent (14-19) of their free throws. 

Liberty hit on 44.4 percent (28-63) from the floor with a 40 percent effort (6-15) from three-point range for the game. The Flames connected on 84.6 percent (11-13) of their free throws. 

Liberty had a 42-27 rebounding edge. Each team had 13 turnovers. Shepherd had six steals and Liberty had four. 

The Rams return to action on Saturday when they host Southern Virginia for a 5 p.m. contest at the Butcher Center. 

Box Score