Liberty University
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North Florida
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 30 | 40 | 70 |
| North Florida | 27 | 48 | 75 |
Liberty Lets Lead Slip Away at North Florida
2/23/2019 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Liberty let a second half lead slip away in the final 10 minutes of the ball game, dropping a 75-70 contest on the road at North Florida. The Flames fall to 23-6 overall and 12-2 in the ASUN Conference, while North Florida improves to 14-16 and 8-7 in the conference.
Turning Point
Liberty had things rolling throughout the game as they jumped out to a 12-point lead (52-42) with 10 and a half minutes left in the ball game. North Florida countered with a 33-18 run to end the ball game led by Garrett Sams' game-high 20 points. After playing exceptional defense throughout the game, Liberty struggled at the end, allowing the Ospreys to shoot 60.7 percent from the field (17-28) in the second half and 60 percent from three-point range (6-10). North Florida would take the lead within with 3:37 left in the game off an Ivan Gandia-Rosa layup and the Ospreys would never relinquish the lead.
Key Stats & Notes
- Liberty's bench outscored North Florida's 30-7.
- Liberty had four players score in double figures led by Caleb Homesley's 17 points.
- Keenan Gumbs matched his season high in points, scoring 14.
- Myo Baxter-Bell earned his first start of the season, in place of Scottie James.
- Baxter-Bell's two points moved into No. 50 on Liberty's all-time scoring list with 624 career points.
- Scottie James grabbed 14 rebounds, moving him into No. 11 on Liberty's all-time rebounding list with 588 career rebounds.
- James recorded his 20th career double-double and ninth of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
Thoughts from Coach McKay
"They completely outplayed us and I thought they (North Florida) deserved to win and we deserved what we got. It is a 40-minute game and I thought we battled back even though we got in foul trouble. I thought they were highly motivated to play us and that is what happens when you are on top of the league."
Up Next
The Flames will head back to Lynchburg for its final home game of the regular season on Tuesday, Feb. 26, as they host Kennesaw State. It will be Senior Night for Liberty's Lovell Cabbil Jr., Keenan Gumbs and Zach Farquhar. The game is set for 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
