Liberty’s last road game of the regular season was a success as the Flames defeated Central Arkansas, 85-66, for its 20th win of the season.
Liberty was led by Darius McGhee scoring a game-high 34 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists.
How it happened
It was a fast-paced game from the start as there were three lead changes and one tie within the first 10 minutes of the game. After trailing 15-9, Liberty would go on a 14-2 run over five minutes to regain the lead midway through the half. The Flames would hit a scoring draught to close out the half as Central Arkansas was able to cut it to a one-possession game, as the Flames went into the break with a 34-32 lead. Liberty shot 50 percent from the field in the first half led by McGhee’s 10 points.
Central Arkansas took the lead less than three minutes into the half but Liberty would respond with a 10-1 run sparked by Keegan McDowell hitting a pair of three-pointers as the Flames would regain the lead (62-52) with 12:26 left in the game. The Flames defense stepped up, holding Central Arkansas scoreless for four and a half minutes as the Flames had its first double-digit lead of the game (72-60) with 4:30 left in the contest. The Flames would never relinquish their lead, shooting 61 percent in the second half and 46 percent from three to come away with the 19-point victory.
Postgame: Liberty coach Ritchie McKay
“I felt like we started taking care of the basketball better in the second half. When they came out early in the second half, they (Central Arkansas) put 19 points in four minutes and that was a rubber meets the road timeout for us and had we not responded the way we did, I would’ve had some concerns. I am proud of our effort, it is hard to win on the road in this league and we will see if we can rest up and get back to it on Wednesday.”
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