Liberty University
16-5,7-2ASUN
%20(1).png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
North Florida
7-12,5-4ASUN
Liberty Defeats North Florida
2/12/2021 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
In Liberty's first ASUN contest at home since Jan. 9, the Flames hosted North Florida in a battle of two of the top teams in the conference. From start-to-finish, the Flames controlled the game as Liberty defeated North Florida, 73-61. Liberty improves to 16-5 and 7-2 in conference while North Florida falls to 7-12 and 5-4 in the ASUN Conference.
First Half
Liberty was exceptional on offense to start the game, dishing out nine assists on its first nine made field goals of the game. Liberty started the game scoring inside the paint and expanded to the three-point line as the half progressed to jump out to a 17-point lead (32-15) with 8:28 left in the half. The Flames went into halftime with a 45-30 lead. Blake Preston would lead the way for Liberty with 10 points and seven rebounds. North Florida was led by Carter Hendricksen, scoring 11 points.
Second Half
Liberty continued to frustrate the Ospreys on offense, as North Florida shot 41 percent from the floor in the second half. Liberty continued to share the ball on offense, handing out six assists of nine made field goals throughout the half. Kyle Rode led the way for Liberty in the second half scoring seven points to go along with four assists and five rebounds.
Key Stats & Notes
- Liberty extended its winning streak at home to 33 games, which is the second longest in the country.
- Drake Dobbs made his first career start scoring nine points, tying his career high.
- Liberty's 13 assists in the first half were the second most for Liberty in a half this season (14 against Alcorn State).
- Elijah Cuffee passed Myo Baxter-Bell on Liberty's all-time scoring list with 906 career points, moving Cuffee to No. 31.
- Blake Preston posted his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
- Darius McGhee recorded four steals, tying his career high.
- Liberty recorded 19 assists off 26 made field goals.
Thoughts from Head Coach Ritchie McKay
"I am really pleased that we got a chance to play. That was our third ASUN game at home and our fourth game in 27 days so I was concerned about just how sharp we would be and although we didn't execute well in some phases, we had an urgency about us that was fun to watch."
Up Next
The Liberty-North Florida series will conclude on Saturday, Feb. 13, as tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at Liberty Arena. The game can be seen on ESPN+.
%20(1).png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
