Liberty, emphatically, snaps two-game losing skid

Liberty snapped its two-game losing streak with an 83-45 win over Kennesaw State Thursday night at the Vines Center.

With the victory, Liberty (20-3, 6-2 ASUN) became the third team in Division I to reach the 20-win mark this season, joining Gonzaga and San Diego State.

The frontcourt duo of Myo Baxter-Bell and Scottie James were a matchup problem for Kennesaw State (1-20, 0-8 ASUN), scoring 11 of Liberty’s first 16 points in the game’s first 10 minutes of action. The Flames’ defense, for its part, shut down Kennesaw State scoreless for over 10 minutes, and during that span, Liberty would go on a 17-0 run.

Liberty continued to roll in the second half, shooting 64 percent (18-of-28) from the field, led by Caleb Homesley’s 10 points.

The Flames would control the paint, outscoring Kennesaw State 32-10 inside the paint, while the bench also outscored KSU 20-8 in the final 20 minutes of action.

“I thought our guys did a really good job, especially weathering a storm at the beginning, with the game being at 12-11,” Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said. “I thought we showed a lot of maturity and shared the ball real well. We got some great looks in the first half so I felt like we took a step and grew a little bit tonight.”