Liberty University
5-13, 2-3BSC
Campbell
8-8, 2-4BSC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell | 27 | 25 | 52 |
| Liberty | 29 | 26 | 55 |
Liberty Holds Off Campbell for 2nd Straight Win
1/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
A strong defensive and rebounding effort was the theme of the day for the Liberty men's basketball team, as the Flames defeated Campbell, 55-52, Saturday afternoon inside the Vines Center.
The hard-fought victory gives Liberty (5-13, 2-3 Big South) its second straight win. The Flames are now 9-0 against Campbell (9-17, 3-10 Big South) inside the Vines Center and improve to 15-11 in the all-time series.
Once again, redshirt sophomore John Dawson led the Flames in scoring, posting 14 points and tying a career high with 10 boards. Redshirt senior Anthony Fields and freshman Lovell Cabbil chipped in 10 points apiece.
Chris Clemons, who entered the contest seventh in the nation among freshman in scoring (17.1 ppg), concluded the afternoon with 14 points. Troy Harper and D.J. Mason added 11 tallies each.
Liberty closed out the contest shooting 46.2 percent (18-of-39) from field, while holding the Fighting Camels to their second lowest field goal percentage (30.6 percent, 15-of-49) of the season. The Flames also recorded their second highest rebounding total of the year, outrebounding Campbell, 38-25.
Liberty scored nine of the game's first 12 points from beyond the three-point arc, receiving treys from Dawson, Lovell Cabbil and A.C. Reid. With Liberty up by four after Reid's three-ball, Clemons answered with one of his own to make it a one-point game. Following a Cabbil free throw, Mason knocked down another trifecta from the top of the key just before the shot clock expired to give Campbell a one-point edge. Liberty responded with a 7-0 run kick started by a Fields three-pointer. Maxwell and Fields capped the burst with layups, giving Liberty a 19-13 advantage at the 7:19 mark.
Dawson ignited the Vines Center crowd with a thunderous one-handed dunk with 4:47 left in the period. Less than two minutes later, Reid knocked down his second three-pointer of the game to put Liberty up by eight. The Camels managed to dwindle the deficit down to two before halftime, giving the Flames a 29-27 edge at intermission.
The Flames outrebounded the Camels in the opening half, 20-11. Liberty shot 47.6 percent (10-of-21), including 50.0 percent (5-of-10) from the three-point arc. Defensively, head coach Ritchie McKay's squad held the Camels to 30.8 percent shooting (8-of-26).
Mason and Clemons paced all scorers at the half with nine points apiece. Fields and Reid each led the Flames with seven tallies.
Campbell took the lead in the early minutes of the second half, but the Flames quickly answered with an 8-0 run. Dawson started and ended the surge with drives to the basket for a pair of layups. Kyre' Hamer stifled the flurry with a basket inside at 12:48, making it 40-36 in favor of the Flames.
The scoring from both teams subsided down the stretch, with the contest remaining within two possessions. Cabbil drained a jumper to put the Flames back up by six with 3:35 left on the clock. Clemons fired back with a three-pointer to divide the deficit. Campbell made it a two-point after a Hamer free throw with 32 ticks left. Nine seconds later, Dawson sealed the deal with a free throw to set up the 55-52 final.
Liberty hits the road again on Thursday, squaring off with Charleston Southern in Charleston, S.C. The Buccaneers defeated the Flames on Dec. 5 in the Vines Center, 68-61. Tipoff for the rematch inside the Buc Dome is slated for 7:30 p.m.
