Liberty University
3-13, 0-3BSC
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UNC Asheville
10-5, 3-0BSC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNC Asheville | 41 | 35 | 76 |
| Liberty | 25 | 44 | 69 |
Bulldogs Keep Flames at Bay Despite Late Surge
1/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Liberty men's basketball team returned to the Vines Center after a four-game road stretch to play host to UNC Asheville, Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs led by as much as 22 in the second half, but the Flames nearly erased the deficit. Liberty cut it to five points after an Anthony Fields reverse layup with 66 ticks left, but could not climb any closer dropping a 76-69 decision.
With the defeat, Liberty falls to 3-13 on the year and 0-3 in the Big South, suffering its 12th straight setback. Asheville improves to 10-5 on the year and 3-0 in conference play. The Bulldogs are now on an eight game win streak over the Flames, leading the all-time series, 35-20.
Three Flames finished in double-digit scoring figures – Lovell Cabbil (16), John Dawson (13) and Ryan Kemrite (11). Coming off a career-high 18 points at Notre Dame on Tuesday, freshman guard Caleb Homesley nearly recorded the first double-double of his collegiate career, recording nine points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
Ahmad Thomas, a native of Danville, Va., paced Asheville with a career-high and game-high 27 points. Leading scorer Dylan Smith and Dwayne Sutton each had 16 points apiece. Sutton also had 13 rebounds to accompany his scoring total.
Asheville shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58) for the contest, compared to 39.0 percent (23-of-59) for the Flames. Liberty outscored the Bulldogs from three-point land (30-12), but the visitors had just as much success in the paint, outpointing the Flames inside the lane, 40-22. The Bulldogs also forced 19 turnovers on the day, picking up 25 points off miscues and outscoring Liberty 14-0 on the fast break.
Despite Asheville struggling from the field in the early minutes, the Bulldogs were able to capitalize on the Flames' turnovers during the opening half. Liberty committed 13 miscues in the half, which Asheville converted into 15 points. The Bulldogs also took advantage of its trips to the line, sinking 13-of-15 shots at the charity stripe.
Although the Flames made four of their first six shots in the half, Liberty struggled the rest of the way, completing the stanza 7-of-23 from the field (30.4 percent). Meanwhile, Asheville found success inside, outscoring the Flames, 22-8, in the paint and shooting 43.3 percent (13-of-20) for the half.
Dawson closed out the period with seven points, capping Liberty's scoring with a three-pointer at 1:48. Less than a minute later, the Bulldogs' Smith answered on the other end with a trey of his own to make it, 41-25, at halftime. Along with Smith's nine points, Thomas paced the Bulldogs with 11 tallies at half's end.
With the Bulldogs leading by as much as 22 in the second period, the Flames rallied to cut into their deficit with a 10-0 run. Cabbil and A.C. Reid kickstarted the burst with back-to-back three-pointers. Following another Cabbil basket, Maxwell cemented the surge with a layup, pulling the Flames within 12. However, the Bulldogs responded with an 8-0 run of their own to regain a 20-point advantage at 10:46, 65-45.
Liberty once again used a 10-0 run with under eight minutes left to climb back into the contest. Cabbil sparked the hot streak with a three-pointer, while Dawson later closed the burst out with a trey at 4:43. Dawson's big shot put the Flames within eight, 70-62.
UNC Asheville went back up by 10 with 91 seconds to play. Liberty sliced into the deficit with another three-ball and a Fields' layup. A pair of Smith free throws sealed it for the 76-69 final.
Liberty returns to the road on Wednesday, squaring off with Coastal Carolina inside the HTC Center. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
