Liberty defeated Quinnipiac, 84-72 to clinch a 7th place finish in the 2017 Paradise Jam. The Flames finish the weekend 1-2 and improve to 3-2 on the season.
Scottie James led the way for Liberty, scoring 15 points in the first half. The redshirt-sophomore forward finished the game with 21 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 8/15 from the floor and connecting on 2 of his 4 3 point shots.
Lovell Cabbil reached double figures for the 7th consecutive game dating back to last season. He scored 19 points while finishing a perfect 7/7 from the charity stripe.
Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz rounded out the double figure scorers for the Flames with 12 points while shooting 6/6 from the free throw line. Liberty was 24/26 from the free throw line on the afternoon, including a 20/21 mark in the 2nd half.
The Bobcats were paced by Cameron Young who finished with a game high 26 points. Quinnipiac is led by first year head coach Baker Dunleavy, the son of Mike Sr. and brother of Mike Jr. The 35 year old played is collegiate basketball at Villanova where he also coached for 7 seasons.
The Flames dominated the Bobcats on the glass, limiting them to one shot and nothing else on the offensive end. Liberty out-rebounded Quinnipiac 32-21, but held an impressive 12-1 edge on the offensive glass leading to a 14-0 advantage in 2nd chance points.
Quinnipiac shot 67% from the field in the first half, and finished the game at 56.8%. The Bobcats were also impressive from 3, finishing the afternoon 13/29 from deep, good for 44.8%.
Liberty is off this week for the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to action on Saturday against Toccoa Falls.
