Liberty (10-4, 1-0) opened up ASUN play with a win at Bellarmine (5-9, 0-1), 70-53 on Thursday night in Louisville, Kentucky.

“I thought (Kyle Rode and Darius McGhee) were special tonight,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay following the win. “Kyle Rode is one of the most underrated, unheralded players in the country. He’s really a tremendous player that doesn’t get much credit because of how selfless he is in terms of numbers.”

The Flames were able to grab control of the game in the opening minutes and maintained the lead throughout the first half. Kentucky native Kyle Rode scored a game high 12 points in the opening 20 minutes as Liberty led by as many as 14. Three Darius McGhee triples before the first media timeout in the 2nd half would push the lead to 17. Bellarmine would cut the lead to single digits, but the Flames were able to withstand their rally.

“I think we’re improving,” stated McKay. “It’s such a long season. I probably don’t measure where we are at this juncture as much as I try and really commit to let just focus on getting better the next day. When we take care of the ball and we don’t beat ourselves, we have some really valuable offensive pieces. Our guys are selfless. I think we are getting better and you have to when you are playing the people that are coming up in our schedule and the non-conference schedule we had. We’ve had some good games along the way, but I think we played well tonight.”

Liberty will open up the home portion of conference play on Monday night at Liberty Arena as the Flames play host to Lipscomb with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. The Bisons are currently 8-5 on the season and open ASUN play Friday evening at home against Stetson.

DON’T CALL IT PAYBACK

It was Bellarmine  that ended Liberty’s streak of three straight ASUN championships last year. The Knights handed the Flames their first and only loss to this point in the ASUN Tournament in the semifinals at Liberty Arena. It came as a shock for Liberty who were unbeaten against the Knights to that point.

Coach McKay and the Flames didn’t want to call this game any sort of payback, understandably so as wins in March are much more precious. Still, this is a perfect way to start conference play as Liberty attempts to win a 4th ASUN title in 5 years on their way out of the league.

McGHEE, RODE SPURS FLAMES TO WIN

Seniors and team leaders Darius McGhee and Kyle Rode were who the Flames counted on when needed to secure the victory. Returning to his home state of Kentucky, Rode led the team in the first half with 12 points and it was McGhee who banged home three triples in the opening minutes of the second half to extend the lead. As Bellarmine attempted to make things interesting and cut the lead to nine, Rode helped keep them at bay.

“Kyle’s a security blanket,” said McKay. “I’m like Linus. He’s really another coach on the floor. Sometimes he’s calling things out on the floor because he sees it. The thing about these two is we trust them. When you operate out of that trust there is a freedom that they can experience and take what the defense gives you. Obviously, I’m a lot more confident when they are in the game.”

McGhee finished the evening with 24 points as he was 8 of 15 from three, including two highlight reel triples. Rode had 22 points as he made 10 of 16 from the field.

“When you have a kid like Darius McGhee, you kind of want to slow down the clock,” McKay said. “You want more time with him. Kyle’s the same way. We have a room full of guys like that.”

FLAMES 3-0 AT FREEDOM HALL

Liberty has seen plenty of success at Bellarmine during their first three years in the league. Two years ago, the Flames defeated the Knights on their home floor in the regular season finale to secure a regular season title. Last year, Liberty again defeated Bellarmine in Louisville. With the win Thursday night, the Flames improved to 3-0 all-time against Bellarmine at Freedom Hall.

In this year’s affair, the Flames led throughout and controlled the game throughout. It was a great way to start conference play as Liberty hopes to avenge last year’s loss and reclaim their throne as ASUN king.

“Our guys knew how hard it was going to be because of how good Bellarmine is, how much pressure they put on you on the defensive end and how together they’ve been,” said McKay. “This is as connected a group in the league. We always come in here with a great deal of respect and preparation because you have to have that to have a chance to beat a Bellarmine team.”