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Liberty University
27-9,15-3ASUN
Wisconsin
19-14,9-11Big Ten
Wisconsin Edges Liberty 75-71 in NIT Second Round
3/19/2023 3:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
No. 2 seed Wisconsin edged No. 3 seed Liberty 75-71 in the second round of the NIT, Sunday at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers improve to 19-14 overall and advance to the quarterfinals of the 32-team tournament. They will face either No. 1 seed Oregon (20-14) or UCF (19-14), who will play tonight at 7:30 p.m. Eastern in Eugene, Ore.
Liberty's season ends with a 27-9 record. The Flames finish 1-1 in what was their first-ever appearance in the NIT. Liberty topped Villanova 62-57 in the opening round of the event, Tuesday night in Lynchburg.
Liberty's Darius McGhee scored a game-high 31 points, the fifth 30-point game of his career, in what was his final collegiate game. McGhee wraps up his Flames career as the program and ASUN's all-time leading scorer with 2,685 career points. He is also the winningest individual player in school history, compiling a 131-37 record (.780 winning percentage) over the past five seasons.
Thoughts From Head Coach Ritchie McKay"I really have a great deal of respect for Coach Gard, his staff and their basketball program. They have really good players and a really good team. We knew this would be a challenge. I'm proud of our group. We have guys that love the game and love each other. It's an honor to coach them, I mean that sincerely. Any time it's your last game, it's tough. I know we lost to a worthy opponent and wish them all the best in the rest of the postseason."
Box Score HighlightsLiberty Individuals: Darius McGhee 31 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists; Kyle Rode 16 points, 6-9 FG, 4-7 3FG, 3 rebounds; Shiloh Robinson 9 points, 3-4 FT; Zach Cleveland 7 points, 3-4 FG
Wisconsin Individuals: Chucky Hepburn 27 points, 9-20 FG, 9-11 FT; Tyler Wahl 16 points, 5-6 FG, 6-7 FT, 6 rebounds; Steven Crowl 14 points, 7-9 FG
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 47.3 percent (26-of-55) for the game and committed only seven turnovers. Wisconsin finished the day at 54 percent (27-of-50) from the field with seven turnovers. The Badgers knocked down 20-of-24 free throws (83.3 percent), while the Flames made 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) of its foul shots. The Badgers held edges in rebounding (31-25) and points in the paint (46-36). Liberty held advantages in points off turnovers, 11-10, and bench points, 16-4. The Flames tallied 11 assists, compared to only five for Wisconsin.
Turning PointThe game down to the wire, as Darius McGhee put the Flames ahead 69-68 with 1:53 left following a layup, giving him 31 points on the afternoon. Wisconsin's Chuck Hepburn (team-high 27 points) knocked down a pair of free throws to put the hosts back in front, 70-69 with 1:29 left. On the next possession down, Liberty took a narrow 71-70 following a tough basket from Zach Cleveland at the 1:08 mark.
Max Klesmit put the Badgers in front 72-71 on a driving layup with 42 seconds to play. Liberty had an opportunity to regain the lead, but Kyle Rode's three-pointer rimmed out and Joseph Venzant's putback attempt would not fall. Wisconsin's Connor Essegian split a pair of free throws with 24 seconds left to put the home side up two, 73-71, with 24 seconds left.
McGhee's layup with eight seconds left did not fall, and Klesmit hit two free throws on the other end to put Wisconsin ahead 75-71 and seal the victory.
Key Stats & Notes• Liberty's 27 victories are their most in a season since winning 30 games during the 2019-20 season (30-4). The Flames have 131 victories over the last five years, fourth most in the nation.
• McGhee finished with 54 points (27.0 ppg) against two Big Ten foes this season.
• Today's game featured nine ties and 14 lead changes. Wisconsin led for 17:45, while Liberty led for 17:44. The game was tied for 4:29.• Kyle Rode was second on the squad in scoring with 16 points. Rode was 6-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-7 from three-point range.
• McGhee and Joseph Venzant led the way with six rebounds each, matching a game high.
• This was the first-ever meeting between Liberty and Wisconsin.
• Today's game, a four-point margin of defeat, was Liberty's closest setback to a Big Ten team. The Flames are 0-7 all-time against teams from the league and finish this season 0-2 against the Big Ten.
Main Photo at Top of Story: No. 2 Darius McGhee
