The Liberty Flames defeated Stetson, 71-53, to open ASUN play at 2-0. This is only the 3rd time the Flames have begun conference play with a 2-0 mark.
First Half
The Hatters opened the game missing their first 11 field goal attempts as the Flames raced out to a 9-0 lead in the opening minutes. Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz got Liberty on the board first, opening the game with a bucket in the paint. The junior point guard also connected on a 3-pointer to push the Flames ahead 7-0.
Stetson would settle in to the game and connect on a couple of buckets to stay within striking distance as Liberty had a bit of a sloppy stretch on offense during the middle part of the opening half. Scottie James dominated the paint with 8 points on 4/5 field goal attempts to keep the Flames in control.
Liberty would go into the locker room sporting a 31-17 advantage thanks to 58% shooting from the floor while holding Stetson to 23%. 8 of 9 Flames to that played in the first half scored, with all 7 finishing the first half between 2 and 8 points.
Second Half
Elijah Cuffee hit a corner 3 and Lovell Cabbil connected on two triples in the first few minutes of the 2nd half as Liberty pushed its lead to 20. The lead would waffle back and forth between 20 and 15 points throughout much of the half.
Scottie James would lead the Flames with 15 points and 5 rebounds. Nine others would score between 3 and 8 points as the Flames again had a very balanced scoring attack. Darius McGhee had 9 points and 8 rebounds. Liberty would cruise most of the 2nd half to an easy victory.
Stat Check
Liberty improves to 12-0 this season when holding opponents to less than 50% shooting from the field. The Flames also move to 13-0 when holding opponents to 70 points or fewer.
Liberty dominated in the paint, out-scoring Stetson 38-14.
What’s Next?
Liberty finally returns to the Vines Center Saturday afternoon for its first ever home ASUN contest when the Jacksonville Dolphins pay a visit. Tip-off is scheduled for 2pm and will be streamed on ESPN+.
