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Liberty University
21-6,12-2ASUN
Eastern Kentucky
17-10,10-4ASUN
Flames Earn Hard-Fought 83-73 Win Over Colonels, Saturday Night at Liberty Arena
2/11/2023 10:15:09 PM | Men's Basketball
Head Coach Ritchie McKay Press Conference
Colin Porter & Darius McGhee Press Conference
The Liberty Flames earned a hard-fought 83-73 win over the visiting Eastern Kentucky Colonels, Saturday night at Liberty Arena.
Liberty bolsters its overall mark to 21-6 and is 12-2 in the ASUN. The Flames remain in a tie for first place with the Kennesaw State Owls (20-7, 12-2 ASUN), who edged Jacksonville State 74-71 earlier in the evening. Meanwhile, EKU falls to 17-10 on the year and 10-4 in the ASUN after the setback in what was a battle of two of the top three squads in the league.
Darius McGhee led the way with a game-high 28 points, while Kyle Rode added 17 points and eight rebounds. Colin Porter finished with 11 points and made 8-of-8 free throws down the stretch in helping seal the win. Brody Peebles scored 12 points and knocked down a crucial three late in the game to pad Liberty’s lead.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Darius McGhee 28 points, 10-21 FG, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals; Kyle Rode 17 points, 7-11 FG, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals; Brody Peebles 12 points, 4-6 FG, 2-2 3FG; Colin Porter 11 points, 8-8 FT, 4 assists, 3 steals
Eastern Kentucky Individuals: Devontae Blanton 26 points, 10-11 FT, 7 assists, 6 rebounds; Tayshawn Comer 12 points; Dardan Kapiti 9 points, 4-6 FG, 2 steals
Key Team Stats: Liberty converted 19-of-21 free throws (90.5 percent) tonight, including 14-of-15 in the final 4:22. The Flames shot 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from the field, and the Colonels shot 45 percent (27-of-60). In a tightly-contested game, Liberty held narrow edges in points in points off turnovers (16-12) points in the paint (40-38), second chance points (14-13) and assists (13-11). The Flames won the rebounding battle 38-28. EKU had narrow advantages in fast break points (12-11) and bench points (21-19). Liberty led for 27:25, while EKU led for 7:31 (tied for 5:04) in a game which featured six ties and six lead changes.
Thoughts From Head Coach Ritchie McKay
“It was a hard-fought game. That was a great college basketball game atmosphere. Our fans have been absolutely tremendous. I hear a lot of coaches say that they’ve got the best fans in college basketball. I’ll put ours up against anyone. We had a true home court advantage tonight. I think it showed that this place can be really special, and our guys really responded and were inspired by the energy in the room.”
Turning Point
Liberty led 48-42 with 12:08 left and used a 13-4 run over the next 3:40 to take its biggest lead of the game. During that run, Brody Peebles scored seven of his 12 points, including a three-pointer at the 9:19 mark for a 57-46 Flames lead. On the next trip EKU trip down, Darius McGhee came up with a steal and dunk. After another defensive stop, Peebles knocked down a float at the 8:28 mark for a 61-46 advantage.
EKU clawed its way back into the game and got within six, 63-57, with 4:04 left following a three-point play from Devontae Blanton (game-high 26 points). On the next trip down the court, Peebles buried a crucial three-pointer from the corner for a nine-point Liberty advantage. The Colonels got within four, 72-68, with 1:56 left following a Blanton three, but the Flames hit 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch to prevail.
Key Stats & Notes
• All 12 of the Flames’ ASUN wins this season have been by double digits.
• McGhee’s 28 points tonight give him 2,433 for his career. The program’s all-time leading scorer, McGhee is five points away from moving into third place in ASUN history for career scoring. He is four points behind North Florida’s Dallas Moore, who had 2,437 career points. The ASUN record is 2,535 career points, held by Centenary’s William Jackson.
• Liberty had 12 steals tonight, tied for its second most in a game this season. Four players had multiple steals, led by three each from Kyle Rode, Colin Porter and McGhee. Rode’s three steals are a season high.
• The Flames split the regular season series with EKU, avenging the 62-59 road loss from Jan. 8.
• With 17 points tonight, Rode extends his streak of scoring in double figures to 10 games.
• Redshirt senior Blake Preston finished with eight points, a game-high nine boards and tied a career high with four assists. Preston is averaging 9.9 points and 7.8 rebounds over his last eight games.
• Tonight’s attendance of 3,961 fans was the fourth-largest crowd in Liberty Arena history.
• Liberty improves to 15-1 on its home floor during the 2022-23 season.
• The Flames are now 4-3 all-time against the Colonels.
Up Next
The Flames will face the Kennesaw State Owls (20-7, 12-2 ASUN) on Thursday evening in what will be a battle for first place in the ASUN. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. at KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw, Ga.
Both teams are 12-2 in conference play. Liberty is 9-0 all-time versus KSU and topped the Owls two times last year. In the most recent meeting (Feb. 26, 2022), Darius McGhee scored a Liberty Arena record 47 points in a 100-93 overtime win.
Main Photo at Top of Story: No. 3 Isiah Warfield
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