Liberty University
3-5, 0-1BSC
Radford
5-3, 1-0BSC
Radford Holds Off Flames in Final Minute, Thursday
12/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Liberty men's basketball team opened Big South play against Radford, Thursday night inside the Dedmon Center, going down to the wire with the Highlanders. Tied with 67 seconds left, Radford received a clutch jumper and free throws from Rashun Davis to hold off the relentless Flames, 56-52.
Entering the contest eighth in the country in field goal percentage (.685), sophomore center Evan Maxwell posted nearly half of Liberty's points, finishing with a career-high 24 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Freshman Lovell Cabbil rounded out the Flames' double-digit scorers with 15 points and five boards. Cabbil knocked down a trio of three-pointers on the night, including one that gave the Flames a three-point lead with under three minutes left on the clock.
Davis paced the Radford offense with 16 points, while Ed Polite, Jr., finished with 10 tallies.
A defensive battle throughout the night, Liberty closed out the contest shooting 40 percent (20-of-50) from the field, while holding Radford to 32.8 percent (20-of-61). The Flames held the advantage in the paint, 32-28. The Highlanders capitalized on second chance points, 20-6.
With the win, Radford improves to 5-3 overall (1-0 Big South), while the Flames fall to 3-5 (0-1 Big South), this season. Radford now leads the all-time series, 36-31.
Anthony Fields put the Flames on the board first, but the Highlanders countered with a 10-1 run capped by a Davis jumper at 15:21. Liberty chipped away at the seven-point lead over a near nine-minute span. A traditional three-point play from Cabbil allowed Liberty to take an 18-16 lead at the 6:33 mark.
Davis returned the favor with an old fashion three-point play of his own. Cabbil responded with a trey on the left wing to reclaim a two-point edge. Jones tied the contest with a jumper, sparking an 11-2 Highlanders' run to take a 30-23 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Maxwell led all scorers at the half with nine points and six rebounds. Jones paced the Highlanders with eight tallies.
With Radford leading by nine early in the second half, the Flames began to close the gap with an 8-2 burst. Maxwell led the charge, posting back-to-back buckets to pull Liberty within three, 40-37, with 10:10 remaining.
Maxwell continued to find his mark, putting Liberty within one with just over five minutes left. Cabbil followed up with a three-pointer 47 seconds later to give the Flames a two-point edge. Following a game-tying dunk from Polite, Jr., Cabbil drained another trifecta to give Liberty the lead once again with 2:35 remaining.
The Radford defense held the Flames in check the rest of the way, ending the game on a 7-0 run, including six points from Davis to set up the 56-52 final.
Liberty continues Big South play on Saturday, playing host to Charleston Southern. The Buccaneers are coming off a narrow 83-82 loss to Winthrop on Wednesday inside the Buc Dome. Saturday's matchup is part of a doubleheader, as the Lady Flames square off with the Lady Bucs at 5 p.m. Tipoff for the men's contest is slated for 2 p.m., with the game broadcasting live on the Liberty Flames Sports Network, MASN, ESPN3 and the Big South Network.
