Liberty falls to Charleston, 76-67, dropping second straight in Tip-Off

Liberty dropped its second straight in The Field of 68 Media Network Tip-Off, falling 76-67 to Charleston on Friday night.

The Flames (6-2) were down one with 13:47 to go, but an 18-2 Charleston run over the next seven minutes broke the game open.

Liberty clawed back to within six, 69-63, with 1:37 remaining following Kyle Rode’s fifth and final three of the night. Charleston made 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.

Rode led the way for Liberty with 18 points, and Kaden Metheny added 16.

“It was a tough weekend for us,” Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said. “We’ve got a lot of respect for Florida Atlantic and Charleston. I’m proud of our guys’ effort. I think we emptied our tank tonight. I think this group has so much character. We have a lot of basketball ahead of us, a lot of time and opportunity to improve. We show up with a great spirit of representation and play with a joy and gratitude.”