Liberty University
3-3,0-0ASUN
Maryland Eastern Shore
2-4,0-0MEAC
Liberty Wins 39th Straight Home Game, Defeats UMES
11/27/2021 7:31:03 PM | Men's Basketball
Liberty extends its home winning streak to 39 games as the Flames defeated Maryland Eastern Shore, 73-61, Saturday afternoon at Liberty Arena. Liberty improves to 3-3 this season while UMES drops to 2-3.
First Half
Liberty was able to find its groove midway in the opening half, as the Flames held a 15-point lead (27-12) with seven minutes left in the half with eight players scored for Liberty during the run. The three-point shot brought back Maryland Eastern Shore, as the Hawks shot 58 percent from beyond the arc, cutting Liberty’s lead to eight points, 39-31, to close out the half. Liberty had eight players score in the first half, led by Keegan McDowell’s 12 points. This was the second straight game where McDowell scored in double figures in the first half.
Second Half
Maryland Eastern Shore was able to cut into Liberty’s lead early in the second half, as the Hawks trailed by three points (45-42) with 16:47 left in the game. The Hawks continued to chip away at Liberty’s lead and cut it to one-point (50-49) with 12:33 left in the game. Liberty quickly responded with a 6-2 run to give the Flames some breathing room and was able to bring its leads back to double-digits as the game went along, pulling out the victory.
Key Stats & Notes
- Darius McGhee scored a game-high 19 points.
- Keegan McDowell scored 16 points.
- McDowell has scored in double-figures in back-to-back games for the second time in his career.
- Shiloh Robinson scored a career-high 13 points and recorded a season-high seven rebounds.
- Liberty outscored Maryland Eastern Shore 32-20 inside the paint.
- Kyle Rode recorded a team-high three assists.
- Liberty’s 73 points are the most against a Division I opponent this season.
- Liberty shot 49 percent (25-51) throughout the game, the highest percentage against a Division I opponent this season.
Thoughts from Head Coach Ritchie McKay
"I knew going in that this was going to be a tough one. I watched Maryland Eastern Shore play great against St. Joseph’s, Temple and Fordham and even played decent against Campbell so I knew we were in for a game. Not the typical early season game that you play a school you think you can just win and we told our guys this will be a really competitive game because they won’t quit, so I was really proud of our group. The second half we had a defensive consistency towards the end there that looked more like ourselves.”
Up Next
Liberty will welcome SEC opponent, Missouri, to town on Thursday, Dec. 2. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
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