For a second straight game the Flames went to overtime, this time coming out on top, 100-93. Liberty (21-10, 12-4) was able to knock off Kennesaw State (12-17, 7-9) to conclude the regular season.

“Another great game to witness, not so much to a coach because a lot of stressful moments out there,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay. “I’m glad number two plays for us. What a fabulous job our guys did in just finding a way. I know this has been a really hard stretch for us the month of February, end of January. The way they’ve battled and finished the season, I’m really proud of them. Sometimes you don’t get the outcome you want or maybe even deserve. We’ve lost a few games in the last minute of the game. This group just found a way when it looked bleak.”

The Owls jumped out to a quick start with an early lead. Their hot shooting, particularly from three-point range, kept them in the lead throughout the first half and into the second. The Flames didn’t take the lead until the 14:23 mark of the second half. Liberty would hold onto that lead down the stretch, but Kennesaw State did not go away. The Owls would take the lead in the closing minutes before Liberty and Darius McGhee forced overtime.

With the conclusion of the regular season, Liberty will begin preparation for the ASUN Tournament which begins on Tuesday with the first round. The Flames have a first round bye thanks to a top two finish in the North Division. Liberty’s first game in the tournament will be on Thursday at Liberty Arena against the winner of Lipscomb-North Florida. The semifinals will be played on Saturday, and the championship game is set for next Tuesday, March 8 at 5 p.m.

Here are our three main takeaways from today’s game:

FLAMES SECURE #1 EAST SEED

With the win, Liberty secured the No. 1 seed in the ASUN’s East Division. The Flames finished one game ahead of Jacksonville, who lost on Saturday at FGCU. Liberty will get a first round bye and will play the winner of No. 4 West Lipscomb and No. 5 East North Florida.

As the No. 2 overall seed, Liberty will play at home throughout the conference tournament unless they meet Jacksonville State in the conference championship.

This is how the opening round of the ASUN Tournament plays out, beginning Tuesday:

3W Central Arkansas vs 6E Stetson
4E Kennesaw State vs 5W Eastern Kentucky
3E FGCU vs 6W North Alabama
4W Lipscomb vs 5E North Florida

DARIUS MCGHEE IS THE GOAT

For the third straight game, a Liberty Arena record was set for most individual points scored in a game. McGhee set the record, by one point over Stetson’s Chase Johnston, with 39 points on Feb. 19. The next game played at Liberty Arena, FGCU’s Tavian Dunn-Martin went off for 43 points. On Saturday during Senior Day, Darius McGhee put his name back on top for that record.

He scored 47 points, the second highest scoring total for him this season, as he scored 48 against FGCU in January. McGhee took over in the closing minutes, scoring 25 of Liberty’s final 32 points which took just 7:48 of game time. During the game, McGhee moved into 5th place on Liberty’s career scoring list. He also added 9 rebounds and got to the free throw line 18 times, making 16 of them.

“I told the guys in the locker room, I’ve been a round a lot of unbelievable individual performances, more so an indication of my age than anything else, but he was special,” said McKay. “He willed us to victory. He didn’t get down if he didn’t get a foul called. He had four fouls. He defended. He had 41 minutes and, I think, 42 the other night. You know how much we rely on him. He’s got a well deserved day off tomorrow. He is one of the best players, if not the best player, to ever put on a Liberty jersey. Not just because of the way he plays, but how he conducts himself.”

LIBERTY CLOSES THE GAME LATE

Once again Liberty found itself in a one-possession game in the final minutes. Kennesaw State would grab a one point lead with 2:06 left in regulation. The Owls would push their lead to 4 with just under a minute to play, but the Flames would show resiliency to get the game into overtime and, eventually, into the win column.

McGhee would get to the line with 51 seconds left, his two free throws cutting the lead to two. The two teams would exchange scoreless possessions as KSU grabbed a rebound of McGhee’s missed shot and then called a timeout with 7 seconds remaining. On the inbounds, Joseph Venzant would step in front of the pass and steal it, the Flames call a timeout. McGhee would get fouled once again, this time with two seconds left, making both to send the game into overtime where Liberty would jump out to the lead and maintain it throughout.

“Joseph is a heck of a player,” McKay said of Venzant. “For him to do what he does as a freshman, he never loses his composure. He doesn’t get down on himself or his teammates. He celebrates when someone else is playing more than him. He’s a future all-conference player, but he’s as good defensively as I’ve seen as a freshman in the Pack. He made some big plays.”