Liberty University
22-5, 11-1ASUN
Lipscomb
20-5, 11-1ASUN
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 38 | 36 | 74 |
| Lipscomb | 27 | 39 | 66 |
Liberty Takes Down First-Place Lipscomb
2/13/2019 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Liberty pulled off a huge win on the road, defeating Lipscomb 74-66 on Wednesday night and snapping the Bisons' 19-game winning streak in the ASUN Conference. The Flames (22-5, 11-1 ASUN) are now tied with Lipscomb (20-5, 11-1 ASUN) for first place in the conference.
Turning Point
After shooting 37 percent in the first meeting against Lipscomb back at the Vines Center on Jan. 29, Liberty found its shooting stroke at Allen Arena, hitting 49 percent for the game (26-53). While the Flames were efficient on offense, their defense held Lipscomb to just 36.8 percent shooting (21-57) for the game. Liberty trailed 47-24 at halftime during the first meeting between these two teams earlier this year, but Liberty was able to flip the script on the Bisons by taking a 38-27 lead into the break tonight. The Flames were able extend their lead all the way up to 16 points (45-29) with 18:20 left in the game. Lipscomb would storm back to cut it to 64-62 with 1:30 left in the game. However, as soon as Lipscomb cut the lead to two points, Darius McGhee came up with a huge three-pointer to make it a two-score game with 75 seconds left. Liberty's defense would lock up to hold onto the lead and pull out the victory. The Flames were clutch from the free throw line, converting 7-8 during the final two minutes of the game.
Key Stats & Notes
- Liberty snapped Lipscomb's 11-game winning streak.
- Liberty had five players score in double-figures led by Scottie James with 17 points.
- Liberty's frontcourt of Myo Baxter-Bell (11 points, four rebounds) and Scottie James (17 points, nine rebounds) combined to score 28 points and pull down 13 rebounds.
- Liberty's bench outscored Lipscomb's 24-13.
- Baxter-Bell and Darius McGhee combined to score 21 of Liberty's 24 bench points.
- Caleb Homesley recorded his fifth career double-double and third of the season with 12 point and a team-high 10 rebounds.
- Liberty is 12-1 since Dec. 29, tying for the second most wins in the country during that span.
- In its first season in the ASUN, Liberty now has a win over every team in the conference.
- Liberty's 22 wins is one win shy of matching the program record for Division I wins (23).
- Twenty-seven first half points matches a season-low for Lipscomb this season (Dec. 30, 2018 at Clemson).
- This was the first time in the last 22 ASUN games Lipscomb has trailed at half (Jan. 27, 2018 at NJIT).
Thoughts from Coach McKay
"I am a little emotional because that was a hard-fought and our guys really battled. The way we lost to them last time was so bad and that was deflating to our guys. I knew this was going to be hard and we were tough mentally and physically. We got contributions from everyone and I am really proud of their effort and about the win."
Up Next
The Flames will close out the week on the road against North Alabama on Saturday, Feb. 16. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m. (EST) and the game can be seen on ESPN+.
