MBB Game Day Central: High Point
2/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Day Central
Liberty Games Notes
Matchup Notes
- During its current five-game win streak, Liberty is shooting 47.6 percent overall (118-of-248) and 42.2 percent from three-point land (54-of-128). The Flames are also making nearly 11 three-pointers per game (10.8). Defensively, Liberty is holding opponents to 62.6 ppg, while averaging 69.2 ppg. John Dawson leads the team in scoring (16.2 ppg), rebounding (6.6) and assists (4.4 apg) during the span.
- Liberty is first in the Big South in scoring defense on the year, holding teams to 66.5 ppg. In conference games, the Flames are also first in the league, holding their opponents to 63.7 ppg.
- Despite being 11th in the league in rebounding, the Flames are first in rebounding defense, holding teams to 32.0 boards per game.
- Liberty's five-game win streak is its first since the 2012-13 season. The Flames won five straight contests beginning with their regular-season finale at Radford (73-56, March 1, 2013). Liberty then earned victories over Coastal Carolina (78-61), High Point (61-60), Gardner-Webb (65-62) and Charleston Southern (87-76) to capture the 2013 Big South Championship inside The HTC Center (March 5-10).
- In Liberty's seven Big South wins, the Flames are averaging 66.1 ppg, while holding teams to 60.9 ppg (+5.3). Conversely, Liberty has averaged 60.6 ppg in its conference losses, compared to 67.6 ppg for its opponents (-7.0). In terms of rebounding defense, the Flames are allowing nearly five less boards per game in Big South wins (30.1 rpg). Liberty is sharing the ball better in its wins, averaging 13.4 helpers per game versus 10.6 in defeats. The Flames are hitting just over 10 three-pointers per contest in league victories, while they have knocked down a little less than eight per game in losses.
Series History
Series Record: Liberty leads High Point, 20-16
Current Streak: Liberty won the most recent meeting
Liberty Series Record at the Millis Center: 5-11
First Meeting: High Point 93, Liberty 89 OT (Jan. 23, 1999 - Millis Center)
Last Meeting: Liberty 69, High Point 67 (Jan. 23, 2016)
Last Liberty Victory in the Millis Center: Liberty 84, High Point 78 (Jan. 21, 2012)
Coaching Matchup
Liberty Head Coach: Ritchie McKay
Overall Record (Seasons): 214-201 (14th season)
Record at Liberty (Seasons): 49-43 (Third season)
Record vs. High Point: 4-1
High Point Head Coach: Scott Cherry
Overall Record (Seasons): 110-99 (Seventh)
Record at High Point (Season): Same
Record vs. Liberty: 6-7
Last Time vs. High Point
- John Dawson's late-game heroics came through again for the Liberty men's basketball team on Jan. 23 in the Vines Center. With the Flames and High Point tied, Dawson drove to the basket and connected on a layup with less than two seconds left, sealing the 69-67 final.
- Sophomore guard A.C. Reid paced the Liberty offense with 15 points, going 5-of-8 from three-point land. Redshirt freshman Ezra Talbert was also instrumental in the contest, posting 14 points. Talbert went 3-of-3 from long distance, which included two key three-pointers during the final 3:07. Dawson's game-winning shot pushed him to an 11-point performance on the day. The redshirt sophomore also had seven rebounds.
- High Point guard John Brown, who entered the contest averaging 19.6 ppg, led all scorers with 22 points. Anthony Lindauer (13) and Adam Weary (12) rounded out the Panthers' double-digit scorers.
- The Flames shot 51.0 percent (26-of-51) from the field, marking its third best shooting percentage, this season. Liberty benefited from sharp shooting in the second period, hitting 14-of-23 shots (60.9 percent). The Flames' 13 three-pointers tied their second best mark of the season.
- High Point also shot well on the afternoon, closing the contest shooting at a 55.3 percent clip (26-of-47). The Panthers found their rhythm inside, outscoring Liberty in the paint, 40-24. However, the visitors were limited from downtown, going 3-of-8 (37.5 percent) for the game.
News and Notes vs. Winthrop
- The Liberty men's basketball team picked up a statement win, Tuesday night, inside the Vines Center, defeating Big South first place team Winthrop, 88-77. The victory extends the Flames' current win streak to five and marks the second victory over a first place conference opponent, this season.
- Leading by as much as 20 points in the contest, the Flames were led by a pair of 20-point scorers in John Dawson and Evan Maxwell. Dawson achieved a career-high in points for the second straight contest. Maxwell's 20 points is the fourth time the 6-10 big man has posted 20 tallies or more during the 2015-16 campaign.
- A.C. Reid had 17 points, all coming in the first half. Reid was flawless in the opening period, going 6-of-6 from the field and 5-of-5 long distance. Lovell Cabbil rounded out Liberty's double-figure scorers with 14 points, posting 11 in the second half.
- Winthrop's top three scorers did not disappoint, with Xavier Cooks and Keon Johnson leading all scorers with 26 and 23 points, respectively. Jimmy Gavin tacked on 15 tallies.
- With the win, Liberty improved to 10-15 on the year and 7-5 in Big South play. The Flames' win streak is its longest since recording five victories en route to capturing the 2013 Big South Championship (March 10, 2013).
- Winthrop moves to 16-7 overall and 8-4 in Big South action. Entering the contest tied for first place, the Eagles had won seven straight contests. Liberty's victory snaps a nine-game skid in the all-time series versus Winthrop and is the first win against the Eagles since a 75-72 decision in the Vines Center on Dec. 4, 2010. Coming into the game, Winthrop had taken 11 of the last 12 meetings from the Flames.
- Liberty shot 49.1 percent (27-of-55) for the contest, knocking down 11 three-pointers on the night. The Flames defense held the Eagles below 31.0 percent in the first half, but Winthrop answered with a 53.1 percent shooting effort in the second to finish with 43.1 percent (25-of-48). Liberty's bench came up big for the Flames, outscoring the Eagles, 26-4. The Flames also went 23-of-25 (92.0 percent) from the charity stripe, marking a season-high in free throws.
