Flames Rally at VMI, 110-102

Team	1	2	F
Liberty	44	66	110
VMI	53	49	102

After playing a pair of games in Orlando, Fla., this past week, the Liberty men's basketball team kicked off the 2010 with a conference clash against VMI Saturday afternoon. Down by as much as 18 in the first half, the Flames mustered two 11-0 scoring runs in the second half, rallying for a 110-102 road victory in Cameron Hall.

VMI's Keith Gabriel was the catalyst for the Keydets' offense netting a trey in the first 13 seconds of the contest to give the host team an early 3-0 lead.

Jesse Sanders hit two shots at the foul line to trim the deficit to one, but Gabriel increased the distance with another three-pointer, giving the Keydets a 6-2 advantage at 18:22.

Following a made foul shot by VMI, Gabriel capped off a 5-0 spurt with a dunk, making it 9-2 at 17:39.

Liberty gradually chipped away at the VMI lead over the next three minutes, cutting it to a pair, 11-9 with 5:21 gone in the first half, courtesy of a layup by Sanders.

Gabriel resurfaced 13 seconds later, hitting his third trey of the half to increase the Keydets' edge back to five, 14-9.

VMI began pulling away over the next 2:26, throwing up a barrage of three-pointers to lead by double digits, 26-13 with 11:57 remaining in the half.

Nearly a minute and a half later, Burks added another three-pointer for VMI to make it 33-15, giving the Keydets their largest lead of the contest (18) at 10:33.

The Flames steadily chipped away at VMI's advantage during the latter portion of the first half, trimming it to six with 4:33 remaining in the opening half, when Evan Gordon knocked down a jumper to make it 38-32.

Following a three-pointer from VMI's Hunter Houston, Liberty went on an 8-0 run, capped off by back-to-back Burrus layups to pull within one, 41-40 with 2:59 left in the half.

The Keydets responded by outscoring the Flames 12-4 in the closing minutes of the period, resulting in a 53-44 halftime advantage.

Gabriel and Sparks led all scorers at the half with 13 apiece. VMI finished the opening 20 minutes hitting 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) from downtown.

Gordon and Burrus each netted 10 points in the first half, going four-of-six and four-of-five from the floor, respectively. The Flames outrebounded the Keydets in the period 22-13, with Ohman leading the way on the glass with six boards, followed by Sanders and Burrus who each had five.

Both teams shot 50.0 percent from the field, with VMI hitting 16-of-32, while Liberty went 17-of-34.

The Flames stormed out the gate in the second half, erasing their halftime deficit and taking command of the lead. Courtesy of buckets from Gordon, Burrus and Perez, Liberty edged in front, 55-53, at 17:57.

Over the next 3:19, the teams exchanged the advantage on the scoreboard. Okoye knotted the contest with a foul shot at 14:38, knotting it 65-65.

An old-fashioned three-point play gave VMI an edge with 14:24 remaining, but Jeremy Anderson tied it at 68 with a trey nine seconds later. Anderson then tacked on two more shots from behind the arc to give Liberty a six-point advantage at 12:46, 74-68.

Perez added a layup 31 seconds later, capping off the Flames' second 11-0 run in the half to go up, 76-68.

After a layup by VMI's Austin Kenon, the Flames produced another 7-0 spurt, with baskets from Bill Weaver and an Ohman three-pointer. The trey completed the burst for an 83-70 advantage with 9:42 left in the contest.

VMI methodically cut away at the Liberty lead over the next 4:14. Gabriel hit a layup with 5:28 remaining to trim the visiting Flames' advantage to seven points, 90-83.

Liberty pulled away again over the next 2:07, building its largest lead of the contest (16), thanks to an 8-2 run. Ohman sank two free throws with 3:21 left on the game clock to put Liberty over the century mark for the first time this season for a 101-85, Flames advantage.

The Keydets answered by outscoring the Flames, 11-2, to pull within seven points, 103-96, with 1:41 remaining. However, VMI failed to climb any closer, as the Flames held off the Keydets to complete the comeback, 110-102. The win moves Liberty to 7-8 overall on the season and a 2-1 posting in conference play, while the Keydets drop to 4-7 overall and 1-2 in the Big South.

Gordon and Perez finished with career-highs in points, netting 24 and 21 points, respectively. Ohman concluded the contest with 16 points, 12 boards and 10 assists, becoming the third player in school history and the second in three weeks to record a triple-double for the Flames.

Liberty shot 64.7 percent from the field in the second half, hitting 22-of-34 to end the contest with an overall shooting percentage of 57.4 (39-of-68).

Gabriel was the game's leading scorer, finishing with 27 points. VMI shot 50.0 percent from the field in the matchup, hitting 34-of-68 shots.

The Flames continue conference play on the road Thursday, as they travel to Clinton, S.C., to take on Presbyterian. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Templeton Center.

VMI also heads to the Palmetto State on Thursday, squaring off with the Winthrop in Rock Hill, S.C. Tipoff between the Keydets and the Eagles in the Winthrop Coliseum is set for 7 p.m.

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Team Stats

Gordon Evan

Perez Chris

Ohman Kyle

Burrus Antwan