Liberty (17-7, 8-1) completed the three-game road sweep this week, knocking off Eastern Kentucky (11-13, 3-7), 91-84, on Saturday night from Richmond, Kentucky. The Flames have now bounced back from last Saturday’s loss at home to Jacksonville State with three straight victories on the road and are in a tie with the Gamecocks in the loss column atop the ASUN standings.

“Really hard fought game,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay. “We’re not typically going to give up 54 points in a half. The game dictated that simply because of the way they play, how many threes they get up, and when they are making them, they are really good, they can set their press.”

The Flames overcame 18 turnovers against the Colonels who like to push the tempo and create havoc with their full court pressure. Liberty shot 58.8% from the field and 56% from three-point range in the win as all five starters reached double figures.

Following three games in six days, all on the road, the Flames finally return home and will take on the Lipscomb Bisons on Tuesday. Tip-off from Liberty Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be carried on ESPN+. The Bisons are currently 10-15 overall and 3-7 in ASUN play following their 77-68 home loss to FGCU on Saturday.

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

ALL 5 STARTERS REACH DOUBLE FIGURES

Liberty had a balanced scoring attack with all five starters reaching double figures in the win. Darius McGhee led the way with 21 points to go along with 6 assists. He was 7 of 11 from the field and 6 of 9 from three. Keegan McDowell had 19 points and tied a career-high with 8 rebounds as he made 5 of 8 from three. Shiloh Robinson was 5/7 from the field and finished with 15 points. Kyle Rode messed around and almost had a triple double, finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. Joseph Venzant had the most points in a game since the season opener against Regent as he scored 10. Also, Isiah Warfield had a season high with 9 points off the bench.

“If they play Darius a certain way, we’ve got to have balance,” said McKay. “If they don’t, he’s capable of scoring a lot of points. The good thing about him is he doesn’t care about that he just wants to win.”

MR. KENTUCKY KYLE RODE NEARLY GETS A TRIPLE DOUBLE

Playing less than an hour from his home town of Lexington, Kentucky, Kyle Rode nearly got a triple-double in the win for the Flames. He recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds to go along with his 7 assists. His performance led to some strong words form his head coach.

“I’m not surprised at anything Kyle Rode does that leads to success,” McKay said. “He’s got greatness on him. I don’t know what he’s going to do when his career’s over, but if I’m an employer, or a coach, or a G.M., I’m hiring Kyle Rode.”

FLAMES FINISH ROAD TRIP 3-0

One week ago tonight, Liberty saw it’s 45 game home win streak come to an end with a loss to Jacksonville State. The Flames were at that point facing three straight games on the road against some of the better teams in the ASUN, all in a five day span. Liberty answered the call and took care of business this week with wins at Kennesaw State, Bellarmine, and EKU.

“I think it speaks to our guys ownership and knowing scouting reports,” said McKay. “We’ve essentially not practice since (our COVID pause). I’m impressed with our internal leadership from our players, Kyle Rode, Keegan McDowell. Darius I didn’t take out in the second half. So, we’re asking him to bring the ball up, be efficient in scoring, be sound defensively like we expect everyone to be. I think it’s pretty impressive that our group held serve on the road.”