Liberty erased an early 12-point deficit to defeat Kennesaw State 69-63, Friday night at Liberty Arena.
The Flames improve to 10-4 and 2-1 in the ASUN Conference while Kennesaw State falls to 3-8 and 0-3 in conference.
Kennesaw State was able to jump out to a 12-0 lead midway through the half. Liberty did not score until the 11:26 mark, but the Flames’ bench was able to kickstart the offense, led by Shiloh Robinson’s eight points, and LU went into the break with a 31-30 lead.
The defense was exceptional to start the second half, not allowing KSU to score in the first five minutes of the half, and Liberty capitalized, going on a 12-0 run to start the half sparked by points in the paint and converting from the free throw line.
Kennesaw State was able to cut Liberty’s lead to single digits and cut the lead all the way down to four points (67-63) in the final five seconds of the game.
“Tonight was a hard-fought game, and I am glad we were victorious,” coach Ritchie McKay said. “I have a lot of respect for Kennesaw State and the season they are having; it is just a matter of time before they get some wins because they play quality basketball. I am happy with the final outcome, and I think there are a lot of things we can work on, and we will have a chance to do that again tomorrow.”
Liberty and Kennesaw State will wrap up its weekend series on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.