Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay picked up his 300th win during his time with the Flames (2-1) as his team defeated North Carolina Central (0-4), 74-66, on Friday night in front of 3,668 fans at Liberty Arena.
McKay, the winningest coach in program history has a 300-143 all-time record at Liberty and 465-301 in his career. He is responsible for 10 of Liberty’s 14 20-win seasons and five of the Flames’ six 25-win campaigns.
“I love being a part of Liberty and having a chance to represent this University and be part of its mission,” McKay said after the game. “I think its distinctly different, that’s been a blessing. That accomplishment is because of the players that have been trusting enough of us to be a part of their journeys. From all those formers to the guys that are in that room, their parents, coaching staff, support staff, and managers. I’ve just seen God build a really neat family. I’m just a cuticle on that body. This position, it gives you way more credit than I deserve, but I’m honored that we had a chance to do it here.”
It wasn’t an easy night for the Flames, as the Eagles continued to put pressure on the home team and wouldn’t allow the game to get out of reach. The largest lead for Liberty in the opening half was 8 points and it wouldn’t reach double figures until the opening minutes of the second half when the Flames went on a 7-0 run. North Carolina Central would immediately respond with a quick 9-0 spurt to cut the deficit to three.
Needing a response, Liberty turned to freshman guard Eli Sancomb who had an and-1. He would score 5 points and assist on a Zander Carter bucket as part of a 7-2 run that allowed the home team to build some margin. Eli Herbert and Cooper Campbell connected on critical three-pointers in the closing minutes when the Eagles kept pushing back as they attempted to mount the comeback.
“I thought this one would be difficult,” said McKay. “We limited our practice time, that was a decision I made to try and make sure we don’t cramp up again or have anybody else injured. Proud of our group, for our effort. I think NC Central is a little better than people realize and happy we got out of here with a win.”
After the opening minutes, Liberty led for the duration of the contest with largest lead reaching 12. There were just three lead changes and two ties. For a team with so many new faces, including three freshmen seeing significant minutes, a close game like this is a good test.
With Sean Register, Jr. and Dillon Claussen, who were slated to start in the frontcourt, out for the season and Osmar Garcia-Araujo week-to-week with a lower body injury, McKay is looking for anybody to step forward and provide minutes in the post. In the first half, McKay utilized RJ Jones (started his second straight game), Reece Davidson, Brady Kester, and Torr Sorensen. That group combined for 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in the first half. In the second half, Jones didn’t see the floor as Davidson got the start out of the locker room. We also saw minutes for Kester, Sorensen, and TJ Drain. In total, this group combined for 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists in just over 40 minutes. Sorensen scored 8 points in just 7 minutes of action, making all three of his field goals including a pair of three-pointers.
“Hopefully Osmar will get back sooner than later,” McKay said. “I thought TJ, all of them did a good job, in segments of their playing time. We’ve just got to be better defensively. I’m not worried about us scoring, we’ve got to be better defensively. Obviously that will be the emphasis.”
Outside of McKay earning his 300th win, the story of this game was freshman Eli Sancomb. The West Virginia native had a career night, although it is just his third game in a Liberty uniform. He finished the night with 20 points and 10 rebounds to go along with 4 assists while shooting 8 of 13 from the floor and 3 of 4 from three. He made winning plays throughout the game, and seemed to be more aggressive in attacking the basket when the team needed him the most. Sancomb becomes the first Liberty freshman to score 20 points in a game since Colin Porter scored 25 to help lift the Flames to a win over Eastern Kentucky in the ASUN Tournament semifinals on March 2, 2023.
“He’s really good,” McKay said of Sancomb. “He’s one of those guys, I don’t think of him as a freshman. He’s been super well prepared. His dad is the head coach at Cal PA and has raised (Eli and his brother) in a way that they are coaches. I’m not joking. They know the game like we do. We’ve leveraged that. We don’t treat him like a freshman because I just think he has this ability, this winning quality about him that is unique. He will help will your team to victory. He’s still got to learn some stuff and defenses will start playing him differently and all that. The good thing is we have other guys around him.”
Zander Carter led the team in minutes while scoring 13 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Cooper Campbell added 12 points, while making 3 of 5 from three. Freshman Eli Herbert made his second straight start while scoring 7 points and grabbing 3 rebounds in 32 minutes of action.
Liberty shot 49.1% from the e floor and made 10 of 24 from behind the arc (41.7%). The Flames were just 10 of 18 (55.6%) from the free throw line. Liberty had 18 assists and committed just 7 turnovers. The Flames scored 22 bench points.
The Flames have now won 18 straight games against MEAC schools, a streak which started during the 2017-18 season. Part of that streak was a 79-63 win over NC Central on Nov. 14, 2022 at Liberty Arena in the only previous meeting between these two programs.
The Flames are back in action Tuesday night for a neutral site contest in Charlotte, taking on Southern Illinois. The Salukis are currently 2-1 on the season, coming off an 80-70 win over Richmond Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
