Liberty improved to 13-0 on the season with a 66-54 win over Towson Friday in the first round of the DC Holiday Hoops Fest Tournament.
The Flames will now face Akron in the Championship game on Saturday, Dec. 21, at the Entertainment & Sports Arena.
It was a game of runs in the first half as both teams had two runs of at least nine points or more. Towson would take the lead at the break after going on a 12-2 run, taking the 30-25 lead at half. Liberty turned up its defense in the second half as they did not allow Towson to score for nearly five and a half minutes as the Flames went on an 11-0 run.
Late in the game Liberty went on a 16-3 run as the Flames took away the three-point line, forcing the Tigers to shoot 30 percent (6-20) throughout the game. Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz sparked Liberty’s offense in the second half, scoring 10 of his 15 points in the second half. Scottie James was a force down low in the post, recording 12 pints, six rebounds and three assists.
“Our struggles were evident (in the first half), and I told the guys in the locker room that our words of positivity and belief and inspiring words to one another was led by Georgie, Scottie, Myo and Caleb,” Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said. “To get back to form in the second half really impressed me. We have to expect to get everyone’s best shot because our name is still on the undefeated map and we anticipated that. Towson plays really hard and is very well-coached. We knew what was at stake and I am just glad we got back to our identity.”
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