The Flames drop their 2nd consecutive game, falling to Presbyterian on Saturday night. Here’s our rapid reactions:

  1. Liberty just looked lethargic at times as PC wanted this one more. That’s what happens when one team is on an 8 game losing streak and another just had a 7 game winning streak come to an end. The Blue Hose out-hustled the Flames to loose balls all night. They out-rebounded Liberty, 38-25 and had 14 offensive boards.
  2. Presbyterian played a 2-3 zone which seemed to contribute to Liberty’s lethargy.
  3. John Dawson was not himself. He only attempted 5 field goals all game, 2 of which came in the final moments of the game when the decision was already in hand. Dawson shot 1/5 from the field and had 5 turnovers. He did finish with 8 assists.
  4. PC’s DeSean Murray is a beast. He finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Liberty had no answer for him. The Flames tried to double him, used the bigger Maxwell on him, tried Homesley and Kemrite, nothing worked. Murray, the reigning Freshman of the Year, is the best player in this conference. It will be tough for him to be voted as the player of the year since PC is at the bottom of the standings, but he deserves it. After watching him abuse LU all night, it would be nice if he transferred to a Power 5 team.
  5. 4 Flames scored in double figures, led by AC Reid’s 18. Kemrite had 15 and knocked down 4 three-pointers. Maxwell had 11 points, but only attempted 1 field goal in the 2nd half. Homesley scored 10 points, all in the 2nd half.
  6. Liberty attempted 35 3-pointers, the most it has attempted in a game all season.
  7. Riding a 7 game win streak and 2 winnable home games back-to-back this weekend, Liberty was able to draw 2 nice crowds for the Radford and Presbyterian games. With 2 losses in front of these crowds, hopefully the momentum will not fade.
  8. The last time Liberty lost 2 straight, they responded with 7 straight wins started by an unlikely road win at Coastal Carolina. Surely, with these 2 losses, most will begin to count the Flames out again. They have a chance to get the positive momentum back again starting Thursday night at UNC-Asheville. Liberty still has a shot at a top 5 finish and first round bye.