Liberty was crowned the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase champion after pulling out the 62-49 victory over Kansas City.
The win over the Roos was the Flames’ eighth win this season, making Liberty the first team in Division I to reach the eight-win mark. Freshman Kyle Rode was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player while Scottie James was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Liberty started the game on a 10-0 run while Kansas City missed its first seven shots of the game. Kyle Rode would lead the Flames in the first half with eight points while Scottie James was efficient in the first 20 minutes of the game scoring seven points and grabbing six rebounds. The Flames would go into halftime with a 32-22 lead as they held Kansas City to just 34 percent (9-26) from the field.
Early in the second half Kansas City would cut Liberty’s lead to six points (32-26) and Liberty responded with a 14-0 run, holding the Roos scoreless for nearly seven minutes. To lock up the victory, Liberty was clutch from the free-throw line, shooting 89.5 percent (17-19) for the game.
“We had a really short bench without Caleb (Homesley) playing and we had guys play a lot of minutes,” Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said. “I am really proud of our effort because to play the way our guys did for 40 minutes against a really good team who is terrifically-well coached and in you third game in three days and eighth game in 17 days is taxing on the body. Our guys did a really good job.”
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