MBB Game Day Central: Presbyterian
2/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Complete Game Notes (PDF format)
Live Video Streaming (Big South Network)
Live Flames Sports Network Radio Broadcast
Live Stats
Presbyterian Men's Basketball Web Page
The Game
The Liberty men's basketball team returns to the Vines Center Saturday to host Presbyterian. The contest marks the seventh meeting between the two squads, with the all-time series tied at 3-3.
Liberty took the first contest against Presbyterian this season, defeating the Blue Hose inside the Templeton Center, 77-67, on Jan. 7. Tipoff for Saturday's rematch inside the Vines Center is set for 7 p.m.
Recent Results
Hoping to control the third spot in the conference, the Flames played host to UNC Asheville, on Jan. 16. Throughout the contest, Liberty rallied on numerous occasions to make it a one-possession ball game, but was unable to grab the lead in the second half, ultimately falling to the Bulldogs, 74-70.
The Flames traveled to High Point, N.C., on Jan. 21, taking on the High Point Panthers. Looking to finish the night in third place in the Big South standings, the Flames played without leading scorer Kyle Ohman, falling, 81-53.
Liberty remained on the road on Jan. 23, making a stop in Radford, Va., to face the second place Radford Highlanders. The Flames kept it close with the Highlanders throughout the contest, before taking the lead with 9:29 remaining, en route to a 60-55 win.
The Flames returned to the Vines Center on Jan. 28, hosting fellow Commonwealth competitor VMI. Antwan Burrus finished with a career-high 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Jesse Sanders also posted a career-high 15 boards, leading the Flames past the Keydets, 91-73.
On Thursday, Liberty played host to Winthrop, falling to the Eagles, 67-43.
Watch and Listen to the Flames
Saturday's contest will be televised on the Flames Sports Network with Ray Jones providing the play-by-play and Tim Scarborough adding color commentary. There will be a radio broadcast which will air on the Flames Sports Network (flagship WRVL 88.3 FM) with Jerry Edwards providing the play-by-play for his 29th season. Additionally, an Internet audio broadcast on LibertyFlames.com will be available. There will also be a live video stream of the broadcast via the Big South Network, available on BigSouthSports.com.
A Glance at the Blue Hose
Heading into Saturday's contest, Presbyterian holds a 4-20 record on the season and a 2-10 posting in conference play. Since their first meeting with Flames this season, the Blue Hose have gone 2-5.
Presbyterian stepped into Cameron Hall on Thursday, falling to the VMI Keydets, 97-78. Chase Holmes led the Blue Hose with 21 points, followed by Khalid Mutakabbir and Jake Troyli, who posted 12 apiece. However, the Big South's highest-scoring team got back to its offensive roots, finishing the contest with five Keydet players in double-digit scoring figures — Austin Kenon (23), Stan Okoye (23), Ron Burks (14), Michael Sparks (14) and Keith Gabriel (13).
Holmes enters Saturday's matchup averaging a team-high 13.8 points for the Blue Hose, followed by Troyli, with 12.2 tallies per contest. Troyli is also Presbyterian's leading rebounder, grabbing 5.5 boards per game. Travis Smith is the team's assists leader, dishing out 3.4 dimes each game. On the defensive end, Mutakabbir leads the way in steals with 1.3 per contest.
Liberty-Presbyterian Series Notes
Saturday's contest marks the seventh meeting between Liberty and Presbyterian. The Flames and the Blue Hose first met during the 1978-79 season as members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). In the first meeting, Liberty hosted Presbyterian on Nov. 20, 1978, resulting in a 74-60 victory for the Blue Hose. The Flames then traveled to Clinton, S.C., on Jan. 5, 1979, falling again to Presbyterian, 95-91 in overtime.
Nineteen years later, the Flames hosted Presbyterian in the visitor's first season as a Division I institution (2007-08) on Dec. 4, 2007. Alex McLean led the way with a near double-double, posting 25 points and nine rebounds. Anthony Smith and Kyle Ohman rounded out the Flames' double-digit scorers, finishing with 13 points apiece in a 69-47 win over the Blue Hose.
In Presbyterian's first season as a member of the Big South Conference (2008-09), the Flames split with the Blue Hose, dropping the first contest on Jan. 5, 2009 in Clinton, S.C., 67-66 in double overtime. Liberty avenged the loss in the second meeting at the Vines Center (Feb. 9, 2009), taking the contest, 69-48. Four Flames finished in double figures — Seth Curry (22), Kyle Ohman (12), Anthony Smith (10) and Jesse Sanders (10). Sanders also earned his first of two career triple-doubles, adding 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Layer Versus the Big South
Dale Layer holds a 10-7 record all-time against current Big South opponents. Prior to returning to Liberty, Layer went 2-1 against Gardner-Webb as head coach of the Colorado State Rams. At the time, the Runnin' Bulldogs were members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. During his stint at Division II member Queens, Layer garnered a 2-2 record against the Winthrop Eagles.
Second Time Around
When Layer served as a Liberty assistant during the 2007-08 season, the Flames went 7-7 in conference play. Liberty posted at least one win over all but one conference opponent. That season, the Winthrop Eagles took both contests against the Flames, 55-48 (Jan. 15, 2008) and 59-50 (Feb. 12, 2008). Liberty managed to sweep one Big South opponent, as they went 2-0 against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, 78-59 (Jan. 21, 2008) and 66-51 (Feb. 16, 2008).
The 2007-08 campaign marked Presbyterian's inaugural season as a Division I squad. The Flames hosted Presbyterian in the Vines Center on Dec. 4, 2007, defeating the Blue Hose, 69-47.
Similar Paths
Before moving up the ranks to Division I play, Liberty joined the NAIA in 1975 as an associate member. The program then transitioned to NCAA Division II in 1981, but was still eligible for NAIA postseason play. Liberty dropped its NAIA affiliation completely in 1984, when it became eligible for NCAA Division II competition. Liberty reached the highest level of collegiate competition on Sept. 1, 1988, when it was accepted for NCAA Division I membership.
Like Liberty, Presbyterian moved through the ranks over the years, playing in both the NAIA and NCAA Division II before becoming a Division I member in 2007. The Blue Hose played their first Division I game on Nov. 10, 2007, falling 67-52 at Nebraska.
