Tuesday, December 29
Orlando, Fla.
7:00 PM
Liberty University
6-7
58
at
82
UCF
8-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 31 | 27 | 58 |
| UCF | 37 | 45 | 82 |
Flames Fall to Knights, 82-58
12/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
After a two-week layoff from on-court action, the Liberty men's basketball team returned to the hardwood Tuesday night, facing off against the University of Central Florida in the opening round of the UCF Holiday Classic. Unfortunately, the Flames were unable to overcome their hosts, falling to the Knights 82-58 inside the UCF Arena.
Kyle Ohman kick started the offense for the Flames, netting a jumper to give Liberty the early advantage. UCF's A.J. Tyler matched Ohman's shot just 10 seconds later to knot the contest, 2-2, at 19:36.
Following a Carter McMaster's inches inside the three-point arc, the Knight's Keith Clanton answered with a nearly identical shot at 18:01, tying the contest again at four.
The Knights then opened a cushion with a three-pointer by, A.J. Rompza, making it 7-4 at 17:26.
After two made free throws by McMasters, the Knights netted five unanswered points to open a 12-6 lead at 13:18.
The Knights kept their advantage between two and three possessions over the next 2:40, until Jeremy Anderson nailed a trey at 10:38 to pull the Flames within three, 16-13.
UCF responded by outscoring Liberty, 9-2, over a four minute span. Taylor Young hit a three-pointer with 6:48 remaining in the first half to make it, 25-15. Evan Gordon equaled Young's shot, knocking down a trey of his own at 6:22 to cut Liberty's deficit to single digits, 25-18.
The Knights began to pull away once again with 5-0 spurt to take a 30-18 advantage, but the Flames responded with a five-point burst off an Anderson three-pointer and an Antwan Burrus bucket to making it 30-23, with 4:15 left in the half.
Liberty pulled to within four points at 2:29, thanks to an Ohman three-pointer to make it 32-28. The Knights managed to score one more field goal than the Flames in the remaining minutes, sending the game to intermission with the home team ahead, 37-31.
Ohman finished the half with nine points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field and both of his opportunities from the charity stripe. Taylor Young led the way for the Knights with eight points, while Keith Clanton recorded nine boards in the half. UCF shot 48.1 percent from the field (13-of-27 shooting), while holding Liberty to 35.5 percent (11-of-31 shooting.)
In the second half, the Knights struck first with a layup by Jakub Kusmieruk, extending their lead to eight, 39-31 at 19:03.
After both teams traded baskets, Liberty climbed within five points courtesy of an Ohman trey, making it 36-41 at 16:47.
UCF prevented the Flames from edging any closer, going on a 6-0 burst which gave the host an 11-point advantage, 47-36 with 14:02 left in the contest.
Both teams exchanged baskets over the next four minutes, with Evan Gordon capping off the back-and-forth battle with a layup to cut the deficit to 54-44 at 10:03. The Knights responded with an 8-0 run, stretching its lead out to 18 with 9:07 left on the game clock.
Ohman helped trim the Knights' advantage to 15 with 5:56 remaining, hitting a trey to make it 67-52. Unfortunately, the Flames were unable to climb any closer, as the Knights outscored Liberty down the stretch 15-6, to take the contest, 82-58. With the defeat, the Flames fall to 6-7 on the season, while the Knights improve to 8-4.
Ohman led all scorers in the contest with 18 points, bringing his career total to 926, just 74 tallies shy of Liberty's 1,000 point club. Burrus rounded out the Flames' double digit scorers with 10 points, while Jesse Sanders led Liberty in boards and assists with nine and six, respectively.
A.J. Tyler and Isaac Sosa finished as UCF's leading scorers, netting 13 points apiece. Forward Keith Clanton proved dominant on the glass, grabbing 14 boards. The Knights managed to shoot 51.9 percent from the field (28-of-54 shooting), while holding Liberty to 33.3 percent (21-of-63 shooting).
The Flames conclude their stay in the Sunshine State with a consolation game in the UCF Holiday Classic against Buffalo. The Bulls fell earlier in the evening to the Jacksonville Dolphins 83-73. Tipoff tomorrow between Bulls and the Flames is slated for 4:30 p.m. inside the UCF Arena.
Kyle Ohman kick started the offense for the Flames, netting a jumper to give Liberty the early advantage. UCF's A.J. Tyler matched Ohman's shot just 10 seconds later to knot the contest, 2-2, at 19:36.
Following a Carter McMaster's inches inside the three-point arc, the Knight's Keith Clanton answered with a nearly identical shot at 18:01, tying the contest again at four.
The Knights then opened a cushion with a three-pointer by, A.J. Rompza, making it 7-4 at 17:26.
After two made free throws by McMasters, the Knights netted five unanswered points to open a 12-6 lead at 13:18.
The Knights kept their advantage between two and three possessions over the next 2:40, until Jeremy Anderson nailed a trey at 10:38 to pull the Flames within three, 16-13.
UCF responded by outscoring Liberty, 9-2, over a four minute span. Taylor Young hit a three-pointer with 6:48 remaining in the first half to make it, 25-15. Evan Gordon equaled Young's shot, knocking down a trey of his own at 6:22 to cut Liberty's deficit to single digits, 25-18.
The Knights began to pull away once again with 5-0 spurt to take a 30-18 advantage, but the Flames responded with a five-point burst off an Anderson three-pointer and an Antwan Burrus bucket to making it 30-23, with 4:15 left in the half.
Liberty pulled to within four points at 2:29, thanks to an Ohman three-pointer to make it 32-28. The Knights managed to score one more field goal than the Flames in the remaining minutes, sending the game to intermission with the home team ahead, 37-31.
Ohman finished the half with nine points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field and both of his opportunities from the charity stripe. Taylor Young led the way for the Knights with eight points, while Keith Clanton recorded nine boards in the half. UCF shot 48.1 percent from the field (13-of-27 shooting), while holding Liberty to 35.5 percent (11-of-31 shooting.)
In the second half, the Knights struck first with a layup by Jakub Kusmieruk, extending their lead to eight, 39-31 at 19:03.
After both teams traded baskets, Liberty climbed within five points courtesy of an Ohman trey, making it 36-41 at 16:47.
UCF prevented the Flames from edging any closer, going on a 6-0 burst which gave the host an 11-point advantage, 47-36 with 14:02 left in the contest.
Both teams exchanged baskets over the next four minutes, with Evan Gordon capping off the back-and-forth battle with a layup to cut the deficit to 54-44 at 10:03. The Knights responded with an 8-0 run, stretching its lead out to 18 with 9:07 left on the game clock.
Ohman helped trim the Knights' advantage to 15 with 5:56 remaining, hitting a trey to make it 67-52. Unfortunately, the Flames were unable to climb any closer, as the Knights outscored Liberty down the stretch 15-6, to take the contest, 82-58. With the defeat, the Flames fall to 6-7 on the season, while the Knights improve to 8-4.
Ohman led all scorers in the contest with 18 points, bringing his career total to 926, just 74 tallies shy of Liberty's 1,000 point club. Burrus rounded out the Flames' double digit scorers with 10 points, while Jesse Sanders led Liberty in boards and assists with nine and six, respectively.
A.J. Tyler and Isaac Sosa finished as UCF's leading scorers, netting 13 points apiece. Forward Keith Clanton proved dominant on the glass, grabbing 14 boards. The Knights managed to shoot 51.9 percent from the field (28-of-54 shooting), while holding Liberty to 33.3 percent (21-of-63 shooting).
The Flames conclude their stay in the Sunshine State with a consolation game in the UCF Holiday Classic against Buffalo. The Bulls fell earlier in the evening to the Jacksonville Dolphins 83-73. Tipoff tomorrow between Bulls and the Flames is slated for 4:30 p.m. inside the UCF Arena.
Team Stats
LIBERTY
UCF
FG%
.333
.519
3FG%
.240
.438
FT%
.667
.704
RB
31
47
TO
11
15
STL
7
7
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
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