Liberty University
1-2,0-0ASUN
Iona
4-0,0-0MAAC
Liberty Falls to Iona in ASUN/MAAC Opener
11/19/2021 8:08:52 PM | Men's Basketball
Liberty opened the ASUN/MAAC Challenge against Iona, Friday night at the HP Field House. Liberty and Iona went toe-to-toe in a game that had 13 lead changes and was tied seven times but in the end the Gaels defeated the Flames 54-50. Liberty is now 1-2 on the year while Iona improves to 4-0.
First Half
After going back-and-forth, exchanging the lead in the first five minutes of the game, Liberty went on a 9-0 run jumping out to a 14-6 lead while Liberty forced Iona to commit five turnovers. Liberty would end up going on an 18-1 run from the 15:09 mark until the 6:31 mark, allowing the Flames to extend their lead to a 23-7. Iona was able to respond with a 15-2 run themselves, to make it 25-23 in Liberty’s favor at halftime.
Second Half
In the second half, the game saw nine lead changes and the score was tied seven times. Iona’s Quinn Slazinski and Nelly Joseph led the way, scoring 20 of Iona’s 31 points in the second half. Liberty was able to take a 50-46 lead with 3:35 left in the game but Iona was able to come back and retake the lead with 1:49 left in the game and hold on for the win.
Key Stats & Notes
- Darius McGhee led Liberty with 12 points.
- Freshmen Joseph Venzant received his first collegiate start.
- Venzant grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.
- Iona grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, which led to 18 second chance points.
- Kyle Rode scored double figures (11 points) for the first time this season.
- Liberty held Iona to 27.8 percent from the field.
- Liberty outscored Iona 30-14 inside the paint.
Thoughts from Head Coach Ritchie McKay
"Tough loss. Our offense is struggling a little bit. Darius is now 4-22 from three his last two games and we are not used to seeing that. Their (Iona) length can bother you and I felt like we did a way better job of taking care of the ball and giving them some good looks. We didn’t do a good enough job on the glass; two consecutive games we have been beaten with 21 of our own turnovers and 15 offensive rebounds and those are statistics that are important to us, so we have got to get better.”
Up Next
Liberty has a quick turnaround as it will face Manhattan tomorrow, Nov. 20, to close out the ASUN/MAAC Challenge. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN3.
