Liberty utilized a 12-1 lead out of the locker room to set the tone for the second half as the Flames coasted to a 84-73 win over Mississippi State. Liberty set a new school record for made threes in a game with 19, beating a record of 17 last done on Jan. 26, 2017 at Longwood. With the win, the Flames have now defeated a Power Five team in four straight seasons.
The Flames come out of the gate on fire, connecting from deep on the team’s first five attempts. First, Elijah Cuffee made two triples, and then Darius McGhee added two. Wednesday night’s sensation, Micaiah Abii, kept the hot shooting alive as he drilled one from behind the arc. Thanks to the hot shooting, Liberty went into the first media timeout with a 15-11 lead.
Keegan McDowell would get in on the action after the timeout as his splash from downtown pushed the Flames to a perfect 6 of 6 from beyond the arc to begin the game. After making his first eight field goal attempts to begin his collegiate career, Abii missed one at the bucket and another triple. Blake Preston got a bucket and Shiloh Robinson had an impressive drive along the baseline and slam. Liberty led 22-20 at the under 12 media timeout, but for a second consecutive night the Flames had trouble with the opposition’s size as Mississippi State was feasting in the paint.
Preston provided several solid minutes off the bench from the Flames as he had 4 points and 2 rebounds to keep the Flames ahead of the Bulldogs, 28-24 with 7:42 left in the first half. McGhee would score the team’s next 5 points as he pushed his team lead in points to 11 though Mississippi State seized control of the lead, 35-33, at the final media timeout of the first half.
The Bulldogs, the much bigger team, dominated on the boards and in the paint during the first half. They out-rebounded Liberty, 17-7, in the opening 20 minutes, as well as owning the advantage in points in the paint (26-12), and second chance points (6-0). Still, Liberty trailed by just one at the halftime break, 41-40, thanks to the Flames shooting 9 of 17 from three point range. Cuffee and McGhee paced the Flames with 11 points a piece. The Bulldogs did not make a three, missing all three first half attempts, while the Flames didn’t get to the free throw line but twice, making one, while Mississippi State was 11 of 13 from the line.
McKay attempted to counter the Bulldogs size by going with the two big lineup featuring Preston and Abii to begin the second half, and it paid immediate dividends. Liberty blitzed Mississippi State on a 13-2 run to begin the half as the Flames took the 53-42 lead.
Liberty’s pressure in the paint with the double team on defense began to frustrate the Mississippi State bigs as the Flames’ defense started looking like it has under McKay the past couple of seasons. Abii reached double figures for a second consecutive night as he connected on his third three pointer and got to the free throw line, splitting a pair. Liberty led 59-49 at the under 12 media timeout.
The Flames’ halftime adjustments have corrected the team’s struggles in the paint as Liberty was out rebounding Mississippi State through the first 13 minutes of the second period. Blake Preston reached double figures as his bucket pushed the Flames to a 65-56 lead with 7:29 to play.
Mississippi State attempted to narrow the lead, cutting the Flames’ margin to 5 or 6 points on repeated possessions, but Liberty had an answer every time. Elijah Cuffee nailed a corner three, followed by a McGhee triple, and then Chris Parker got in on the action as his three pointer pushed the Flames to a 74-66 lead with 4:12 left in the game. Liberty would not let the Bulldogs get any closer as the Flames would coast to the win.
McGhee set a career high in points for the second straight night with his 23 points as he made 7 of his 11 three point attempts. Cuffee added 17 points and 5 assists while making 5 of his 6 three pointers. Preston had a career high with 11 points and 5 rebounds. Parker had a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists, while Micaiah Abii reached double figures for a second consecutive game with 10 points
After beginning the season 1-1 at the Space Coast Challenge in Melbourne, Florida, Liberty now takes the trip west to Kansas City where the Flames will face South Carolina at 4 p.m. on Saturday in the Hall of Fame Classic in a game that will be televised on ESPNews.
*photo courtesy Liberty Athletics
