The Liberty men’s basketball team won a regular-season championship outright for the first time in program history with a 94-78 defeat of Bellarmine Saturday at Freedom Hall.
Liberty ends the regular season as the No. 1 seed heading into next week’s ASUN Tournament with a 20-5 record overall and an 11-2 record in the ASUN.
Liberty snaps Bellarmine’s 10-game winning streak as the Knights fall to 13-6 and 10-3 in the ASUN Conference.
A 14-5 run late in the first half sent the Flames to the locker room with a 52-35 lead. Liberty shot 72 percent from the field and 66 percent from three-point range led by Darius McGhee scoring 13 points in the opening 20.
Bellarmine was able to scratch and claw its way back late in the game, cutting Liberty’s lead to single-digits (83-74) with 2:17 left. Liberty responded by ending the game on an 11-4 run to pull out the win.
McGhee scored a career-high 34 points to lead Liberty.
“Needless to say that I am really proud of our group,” Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said. “I think that their ability to come on the road against a really good team and play consistent on both ends of the floor I thought was special. I am really proud that myself and this coaching staff get to be a part of these young men’s lives. They are special group, and we have great leadership in our athletic department and their commitment to making our program competitive is something we are thankful for.”
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