Liberty races past North Florida, 73-62: Road win improves Flames to 7-1 in ASUN

Liberty trailed by two at the break, but a big second half pushed the Flames past North Florida, 73-62, on Saturday.

The loss was the first at UNF Arena this season for the Ospreays (8-12, 3-5 ASUN).

Liberty (16-5, 7-1 ASUN) trailed 37-35 at halftime, but opened the second half on a 9-0 run to take a 44-37 lead.

Kyle Rode, who was in foul trouble in the first half and played only 4:34 in the opening 20 minutes, knocked down back-to-back threes to open the half.

Darius McGhee’s fourth triple of the afternoon pushed the lead to seven (44-37) at the 17:52 mark.

UNF got within two, 54-52, following a three-pointer from Jarius Hicklen at the 7:33 mark, but a 12-2 Liberty run extending the lead to 12 (66-54) with 3:46 left.

Shiloh Robinson had 11 of his 17 points after the break and finished the game with a double-double of 17 points and 10 boards.

Freshman Colin Porter and redshirt senior Blake Preston had strong games as well. Porter scored seven points and had a career-best nine assists, while Preston had 13 of his 17 total points in the first half and grabbed five rebounds in the game.

“Because Darius (McGhee) is such a special player, sometimes what gets lost in that is how the other guys are,” Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said. “Sometimes that goodness is reflected in them starring in their roles. JV (Joseph Venzant) set an incredible tone for us in the second half. Defensively, he sat down in a stance. Shiloh Robinson was huge. I thought our team showed a toughness and maturity about them that continues to impress me.”