Liberty (19-5, 10-1) took its game on the road to Tennessee where the Flames defeated Austin Peay (8-16, 2-9), 82-70. It marks the Flames’ seventh straight win and the Governors’ seventh straight loss.

“I think our guys did a lot of good things,” said head coach Ritchie McKay. “There were some times that I felt a little frustrated on the sideline, but I think that’s life on the road. I’ve seen a myriad of games go the other way for the home team when they are scoring the ball at the rate they were scoring it in the second half. I thought our guys shared it. I thought we played fairly well, took care of it decently. I do think we are a little better defensively than we showed. Again, happy to come away with any road win.”

Colin Porter had five assists by the first media timeout of the game, setting the tone for the Flames on the evening. Liberty would lead throughout, pushing their advantage to 37-23 at halftime. The lead would stretch to as many as 20 in the second half on multiple occasions, but the home team wouldn’t go away quietly. Austin Peay scored 47 points in the second half, holding the Flames without a field goal the final six minutes of the contest to hold it to a respectable margin.

Darius McGhee scored 18 points on the night as he remains just shy of Karl Hess’ career scoring record. McGhee still needs 9 points to break the 43-year old record. He was one of five Flames to reach double figures, followed by Shiloh Robinson who had 16 points, Kyle Rode and Blake Preston with 12 points each, and 10 points from Joseph Venzant.

The Flames will remain in Tennessee as they take on the Lipscomb Bisons on Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. EST. Liberty defeated Lipscomb, 77-48, back on January 2 at Liberty Arena. The Bisons are currently 14-10 overall and 6-5 in the ASUN following their 66-60 win against Queens on Thursday night.

PORTER AFFECTS THE GAME WITHOUT SCORING

It’s something that is becoming a recurring theme for the Flames with true freshman point guard having a very productive game despite not making a field goal. He was 0 for 6 from the field, scoring just two points, but he tied a career high with 9 assists.

“I think Colin Porter’s one of the best freshmen in the country,” said McKay. “I think he’s one of the best point guards in the league. This is just the beginning. I really trust him. His teammates love playing with him. He’s going to walk out of the locker room frustrated because he didn’t think he played like Colin Porter is capable of playing. To me that speaks volumes to the kind of pursuit that he has in being a great player. He’s really a special player. He makes the game easier for all of us.”

McGHEE MOVES CLOSER TO HESS

Darius McGhee entered Thursday night’s game needing 27 points to break Karl Hess’ record for most career points at Liberty. The senior guard finished the game with 18 points as he remains just shy of the long-standing record. McGhee was 7 of 15 from the field and 3 of 9 from three. Despite being one of the top free throw shooters in the country, he only made 1 of his 3 attempts against the Governors.

CLEVELAND RETURNS TO LINEUP

Liberty freshman forward Zach Cleveland returned to the lineup Thursday night in Clarksville. He had missed the previous six games as he recovered from a non-COVID illness (reportedly mono). It will likely take the 6’7″ forward a few games to get back in game shape, but he helps add to the team’s depth as Liberty heads down the stretch. Cleveland played 7 minutes against Austin Peay, finishing with 1 point, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist.

COACH McKAY POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE