After a setback Sunday at Eastern Kentucky, Liberty (13-5, 4-1) got back in the win column Thursday evening, defeating North Alabama (9-9, 1-4), 72-54.

“I thought our defense was good for the most part,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay. “I think KJ (Johnson) got in the lane a little bit too frequently in the first half. We did a better job in the second half. When the lead got stretched out, we relaxed a little bit. Pleased with our effort. Shiloh, obviously, had a really good game. I think we’ve got a group that will pick up the pieces and take what the defense gives them and I thought that was evident tonight.”

Liberty used a 16-0 run in the first half to create separation from the Lions. The game was tied at 13 before that burst which included a 6:23 scoreless streak for North Alabama. Darius McGhee and Shiloh Robinson combined to score the team’s first 15 points. Liberty would go into halftime with a 39-20 lead and the margin would remain at a comfortable mark throughout the second half.

Shiloh Robinson had a career night with 27 points on 11 of 13 shooting. Darius McGhee chipped in 16 points while Kyle Rode added 14.

Flames’ freshman forward Zach Cleveland missed the game due to a non-COVID illness.

Liberty is back in action on Saturday evening taking on Central Arkansas with tip off scheduled for 7 p.m. at Liberty Arena. The Bears are currently 6-12 overall and 1-4 in ASUN play. They defeated Queens Thursday night, 92-91, to end an eight game losing streak.

HELLO SHILOH ROBINSON

The Liberty senior forward has not had the same level of production on offense most of the season compared to what he did last year. Robinson entered the night averaging 6.4 points per game and shooting 22.6% from three. Those numbers are both down from his marks last year of 9.5 points per game and 37.1% from three point range.

Thursday night against North Alabama, Robinson scored 7 of the team’s first 15 points and ended up with a career high 27 points. He was 11 of 13 from the floor and 3 of 4 from three with 6 rebounds. Shiloh’s previous career high in field goals attempted was 10 and he made more than that tonight.

The last time a Liberty player not named Darius McGhee scored 27 or more points in a game was Caleb Homesley when he scored 28 in a win over North Florida on Feb. 20, 2020.

“He cares,” McKay said of Robinson. “He will do whatever you ask him to do. When he sees it go in his confidence, like most of us, goes way up. What will be understated, he really defensively was really sound. He typically brings that on a nightly basis.”

DARIUS McGHEE IS FINE

During Sunday’s loss at Eastern Kentucky, Darius McGhee had his lowest scoring output of the year. He finished with 7 points while shooting just 2 of 11 from the field and 1 of 8 from three. It was obvious that he was suffering from some lingering injuries. He spent most of his time that he wasn’t on the court riding a stationary bike next to the team’s bench.

During Wednesday’s media availability, Coach McKay said that his star guard had been practicing and was expected to play against the Lions. He did play and he did not show any lingering affects from the injuries. McGhee finished the night with 16 points while making 4 of his 11 three point field goals. He also had five assists to just one turnover.

KYLE RODE WAS ON FIRE IN THE FIRST HALF

Rode missed his first three field goals of the night, but he would quickly rebound to have a very good night. The senior forward finished the night with 14 points. His four made threes tied his season high. He made back to back three pointers in the first half to extend the Liberty run to 16-0 and push the lead to 16 points. The Lions would not recover.

“We’ve seen Kyle Rode make a lot of those,” said McKay. “I’m glad he kept taking them. Our team has some spurtability. Obviously, when you have number two out there, and he’s surrounded by some other guys that are proficient behind the arc, it looks like we know what we’re trying to do.”

McKAY POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE