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MBB Game Day Central: Charleston Southern
1/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Day Central
Liberty Game Notes
Matchup Notes
- In Liberty's first meeting with the Bucs, the Flames were without redshirt sophomore John Dawson. The 6-2 guard is pacing the Flames in scoring in the last three games, averaging 15.0 ppg. Dawson's string of performances includes a career-high 18 points at Coastal Carolina, a contest in which he hit the game-winning three-pointer with 14 ticks left.
- A.C. Reid played a huge role in the first matchup between the Flames and the Bucs. Reid knocked down five three-pointers in the first half, posting 18 points in the period. The sophomore cooled off in the second, but closed out the contest with a career-high 20 tallies.
- Redshirt senior guard Anthony Fields has led by example in the last two contests, averaging 10.5 ppg during the span. Fields shot a combined 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the field, including 80.0 percent (4-of-5) from three-point range.
- Evan Maxwell enters Thursday's contest seventh in the country in field goal percentage (.667).
Notes and Anecdotes
- Charleston Southern is on a four-game win streak over the Flames, taking six of the last seven meetings. Liberty has not defeated the Buccaneers since capturing the 2013 Big South Championship with an 87-76 victory over Charleston Southern inside The HTC Center (Conway, S.C.). The Flames' last victory in the Buc Dome occurred on Feb. 9, 2012, when Antwan Burrus knocked down a 30-foot buzzer beater to push Liberty to a 75-74 victory. The play landed at No. 2 on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 plays.
- When the series began during the 1988-89 season, Charleston Southern was known as Baptist College, S.C. The school changed its name before the start of the 1990-91 season. Much like Charleston Southern, Liberty was originally founded in 1971 under a different name, Lynchburg Baptist College, before being renamed to Liberty Baptist College in 1975. Ten years later, the school became recognized as a fully accredited university.
- Prior to coaching at Charleston Southern, Barclay Radebaugh spent one season at Queens University in Charlotte, leading the Royals to a 21-8 record (2003-04). Ritchie McKay began his coaching career at Queens (then named Queens College), serving on the Royals' staff as an assistant coach during the 1989-90 season. That year, Queens concluded its inaugural season with an 11-17 record.
- Ritchie McKay enters Thursday's contest with a 4-2 record all-time against Charleston Southern. During his first stint at Liberty, the Flames defeated the Buccaneers in three of the four matchups. McKay also garnered a win over Charleston Southern during his final season at New Mexico and Barclay Radebaugh's second year with the Bucs. The Lobos hosted the Buccaneers on Dec. 19, 2006, picking up the 76-69 win.
- Thursday's contest marks the 61st meeting all-time between the Flames and the Buccaneers. Radford is the only team that has played Liberty on more occasions, squaring off with the Flames in 67 contests.