Liberty University
6-18, 0-11
Winthrop
13-10, 8-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 21 | 40 | 61 |
| Winthrop | 33 | 41 | 74 |
Key 3-Pointers Help Winthrop Move Past Liberty
2/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Looking for its first win inside Winthrop Coliseum in nearly 11 years, the Liberty men's basketball team took on the Winthrop Eagles, Wednesday night. Despite trailing by 17 points in the first half, the Flames made it an eight-point game in the second. However, Liberty was unable to stop the sharpshooting of Andre Smith, who finished with 21 points in the Eagles' 74-61 victory.
Theo Johnson paced the Flames offense with 14 points, followed by David Andoh, who had 13 tallies.
Along with Andre Smith, Keon Moore had 18 points for Winthrop, followed by Keon Johnson (12) and Xavier Cooks (10). Cooks also had five blocks on the night.
The Flames concluded the contest on 35.6 percent (21-of-59) shooting, while Winthrop shot 47.9 percent (23-of-48). Liberty edged the Eagles in the paint, 24-20, but the home team capitalized from three-point range, outscoring the Flames, 30-9. Winthrop was also active on the defensive end, garnering 11 blocks.
With the defeat, Liberty falls to 6-18 overall and is 0-11 in Big South play for the first time in program history. The Flames' current 11-game skid is also its first since the 1980-81 season. Winthrop moves to 13-10 on the year and 8-4 in conference action. Winthrop now leads the all-time series, 37-15.
Both offenses started slow, with the Eagles leading the Flames, 11-10, at the 11-minute mark. Winthrop then went on a 13-0 run capped by a traditional three-point play by Keon Johnson. Andrew Smith halted Winthrop's surge with two free throws to make it 24-12 at 4:38.
The Flames scored seven of their next nine points from the foul line, as the Eagles held them scoreless from the field for a span of 11:26. A three-point play by Evan Maxwell sent Liberty in the locker room trailing, 33-21, at halftime.
Liberty shot 21.4 percent (6-of-28) during the first half, compared to 41.4 percent (12-of-29) for the Eagles. Three-pointers made the difference, as Winthrop knocked down four treys and forced the Flames to go 0-for-5 from three-point land.
Keon Moore paced the Eagles with 10 points. Moller and James Johnson each had four tallies for the Flames.
Liberty cut the deficit to 10 in the second half thanks to a James Johnson dunk at 15:09. Winthrop boosted its lead back to 15 one and a half minutes later, receiving a pair of free throws from Andre Smith to make it 46-31.
The Flames pulled within eight points with 7:48 remaining. A three-point play by Andrew Smith made it a single-digit margin, but back-to-back treys from Andre Smith and Keon Moore pushed the Eagles ahead, 61-47, at 6:43.
The Flames cut it back to 10 with six minutes left, but could not climb any closer en route to the 74-61 final.
Liberty returns to action on Friday, squaring off with Presbyterian. Game time is slated for 7 p.m., with the contest streaming live on the Big South Network.
