The Flames got blitzed out of the gates by Indiana losing, 87-48. Here’s our rapid reactions:

  1. Coach McKay went with a different starting lineup for the first time in 3 games, inserting the true freshman Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz as a starter in place of Caleb Homesley. Pacheco-Ortiz, who played very well against VCU, finished the game with 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist.
  2. The Flames got off to an ice cold start from the floor, at one time shooting 11% from the field, 6% from 3, and 0% from the charity stripe. This helped the Hoosiers go on a 24-0 run during the middle of the 1st half, pushing the game far out of reach for the Flames. Liberty finished the game 29.7% from the field, 18.5% from 3, and 35.7% from the charity stripe. LU was 5/14  from the free throw line.
  3. After not playing in the first two games of the year, Xzavier Barmore checked in late in the 1st half. The true freshman guard from Seneca, South Carolina, played 5 minutes. He finished the game 1/3 from the field, 2 points, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Barmore had a very nice drive to the hoop for his one bucket. It looks like red-shirting Barmore is not McKay’s plan.
  4. Graduate transfer Ray Chen had a solid game, leading the team in scoring with 8 points despite playing just 13 minutes. He was perfect from the field (2/2) and the free throw line (4/4).
  5. Josiah Talbert impressed for the 3rd straight game. He brings something to the team that no one else does. The younger Talbert brother showed that he was not intimidated of all the long bodies Indiana had. Josiah also caught a nice alley-oop from Caleb Homesley. He went on to finish the game with 6 points and 3 rebounds. He did struggle from the field, finishing 3/11 and 0/3 from 3.
  6. Liberty’s leading scorer, John Dawson, only played 20 minutes against Indiana. He struggled from the field, shooting just 1/7 from the field and 0/4 from 3 with 3 turnovers. Dawson finished with 2 points and 1 rebound.
  7. Myo Baxter-Bell continues to find himself in foul trouble. The undersized center needs to find a way to stay on the floor. He had 4 fouls in just 16 minutes. Myo finished the game with 4 points and 3 rebounds.
  8. The Flames held the high-octane Indiana basketball under 100 points for the first time this season. Coach McKay’s pack-line still allowed 87 points, something he’s surely not ecstatic about.
  9. Liberty has now lost 15 consecutive non-conference games against Division I opponents. The Flames last win came against Furman on December 1, 2014. LU has also lost 19 out of its last 20 non-conference games against Division I opponents.
  10. Liberty returns to action, hoping to end that streak, on Monday evening in the Vines Center as they play host to UMass Lowell. The River Hawks 1-3 on the season, with a win over Wagner and losses to Massachusetts, IPFW, and Indiana. They lost to the Hoosiers in Bloomington this past Wednesday, 100-78.