Liberty (21-6, 12-2) picked up a crucial ASUN win at home Saturday night over Eastern Kentucky (17-10, 10-4), 83-73.
“Hard fought game, that was a great college basketball atmosphere,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay. “Our fans have been absolutely tremendous. I hear a lot of coaches say that they’ve got the best fans in college basketball, but I’d put ours up against anyone. We had a true home court advantage tonight. I think it showed that this place can be really special. Our guys responded, we were inspired by the energy in the room.”
The Flames fell behind in the first half thanks to a scoreless drought of more than five minutes. The Colonels went on a 12-0 during this stretch to take a 24-18 lead with 6:55 left in the first half. Liberty would bounce back to take a 35-32 lead into intermission.
In the 2nd half, Liberty would take the lead, pushing it to as high as 15 points. EKU wouldn’t go down without a fight though, climbing back into down the stretch before the Flames would seal the important win.
Darius McGhee led the team with 28 points on 10 of 21 shots. He was one of four players in double figures followed by Kyle Rode with 17 points, Brody Peebles with 12 and Colin Porter with 11.
All eyes around the ASUN and some around the country will now turn their eyes to Thursday’s showdown between Liberty and Kennesaw State. These two teams have emerged in a first place tie atop the conference standings for the majority of the ASUN play. The winner of Thursday’s game will put themselves in very good shape to claim the regular season title and secure home court throughout the conference tournament.
CRUCIAL FREE THROWS DOWN THE STRETCH PUSH FLAMES OVER END
Liberty was 14 of 15 from the free throw line over the final four plus minutes to finalize the win. True freshman point guard was 8 for 8 during that stretch and the team was 19 of 21 for the game from the charity stripe.
“I trust our guys at the free throw line,” said McKay. “They’re not always going to go in. Colin Porter doesn’t play like a freshman. The way he manages games is unique. I’m glad he’s wearing one of our jerseys.”
MULTIPLE GUYS PROVIDE SOMETHING FOR FLAMES
Just about every guy that minutes for the Flames Thursday night against Eastern Kentucky provided something for head coach Ritchie McKay. Obviously Darius McGhee did with his 28 points, while Kyle Rode had 17 points and 8 rebounds. Porter stepped up down the stretch while also handling the ball.
Brody Peebles knocked down a crucial three pointer in the corner late and finished with 12 points. Blake Preston was probably Liberty’s best player for much of his time on the floor, finishing with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. Joseph Venzant, Isiah Warfield, and Shiloh Robinson provided their typical strong defensive performances.
“It’s what we think our program is about,” said McKay. “Guys contribute even if it’s not something that is overly celebrated. Eastern Kentucky is good. We knew it coming in. You can look at their record, you can watch them on tape. That’s a balanced team, they have a good system, they are very physical.”
FLAMES RESPOND UNDER PRESSURE
For maybe the first time this season, Liberty was able to pull out a victory under intense pressure. Eastern Kentucky didn’t go down without a fight, pushing Liberty’s lead down to four in the closing minutes after the Flames had pushed the lead to 15. The Colonels had a stretch where they made three pointers on three straight possessions to stay in the fight.
“Zay came up with a steal, maybe two,” said McKay. “We got a deflection. The threes that Blanton hit were highly contested, he just made them. He’s a good player, he’s an all-conference player no doubt. We messed up a little coverage when Moreno drifted to the corner in front of their bench. Mistakes happen in the game. It’s good to experience some adversity in games. Your ability to respond to them, and I think we are getting a little better each time it’s a close one. I think that helps your program being able to practice that in an environment like we had is really good.”
