No. 1 seed Liberty (23-5, 11-2) wasted little time jumping ahead of No. 5 seed North Alabama (13-11, 7-8), as the Flames win their third straight ASUN Tournament Championship, defeating the Lions 79-75.
“That was a special effort by North Alabama, their players and coaches,” Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay said. “They made a great run. That team has an incredibly bright future. Tony does an outstanding job. They play incredibly hard. They really believe in their system. They believe in them, they believe in each other. I’m really proud of our group because we were able to endure that second half. I thought UNA had an edge to them that was tough. We responded. This group has done that continuously. Obviously, pleased to win a championship. They are hard to come by.”
After falling behind at the beginning in each of the first two ASUN Tournament games at UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Florida to begin the tournament, the Flames immediately jumped in front of the Lions as Darius McGhee was fouled shooting a three-pointer just 14 seconds into the game. The ASUN Player of the Year made all three free throws as Liberty led 3-0 at the onset.
The Flames would make four of its first five field goal attempts, two of three coming from three point range as Liberty grabbed a 13-3 lead less than two minutes into the game, forcing UNA head coach Tony Pujol to call an early timeout.
North Alabama, ineligible for the NCAA Tournament as they are in their third year of a four year transition from Division II to the ASUN and Division I, was able to keep the margin within eight to 12 points throughout the majority of the first half. It kept UNA within striking distance heading into the second half.
The Lions never surrendered throughout the game, cutting the Flames lead to one possession and tying the game several times in the waning minutes of the game. North Alabama would take their first lead of the game at 70-69 at the 4:23 mark of the second half thanks to a Jamari Blackmon three pointer.
On the very next possession, McGhee would answer for the Flames. His three-pointer with four minutes left in the game gave the Flames the lead once again at 72-70. It was the last of McGhee’s 21 points on the afternoon. The bucket was also part of eight points McGhee scored in a three minute stretch.
“Those that have been around Darius for a while know he’s a big shot taker and a big shot maker,” said McKay. “He really believes in himself and he believes in his teammates. We believe in him. When he’s got the ball in his hands, usually good things happen.”
North Alabama cut the lead to two points once again with just 13 seconds remaining. The Flames’ Chris Parker would hit two free throws with 11 seconds left to seal the game.
“It isn’t luck that these guys have won this league three years in a row,” North Alabama head coach Tony Pujol said of the Flames. “They’ve won it three years in a row because their culture, their standards, are elite.”
Due to the Lions being ineligible, the Flames were the first Division I team to officially secure an NCAA Tournament berth. Liberty clinched the program’s 6th NCAA Tournament selection in program history Friday night when North Alabama defeated Florida Gulf Coast. The Flames would have been awarded the conference’s automatic bid even if the Lions won Sunday’s championship game since the Liberty was regular season champions.
McGhee finished with a game high 21 points, making 7 of 14 field goals and 4 of 8 from three. He tied for a team high 8 rebounds and 2 assists.
Kyle Rode had 15 points, making 6 of 8 from the field and 3 of 4 from three to go along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Blake Preston and Keegan McDowell each reached double figures with 10 points a piece. Preston made all 6 of his free throw attempts in the win to go along with 8 rebounds.
Seniors Elijah Cuffee and Chris Parker played a key part in the win as well. Cuffee added 9 points and 3 rebounds as Parker finished with 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Liberty just completed the greatest three-year run in ASUN Conference history. The Flames are the first ASUN team to ever win three straight regular season and tournament titles during the same three-year period. In McKay’s sixth season back at the helm of the Flames, Liberty has strung together five straight 20-win seasons, four straight conference championship game appearances, three straight tournament championships, three straight regular season titles, and three consecutive NCAA Tournament bids.
The Flames improve to 9-0 all-time in ASUN Tournament games, and Liberty is now 47-7 (87.0 winning percentage) in ASUN league games over the team’s three seasons in the conference.
“It’s special,” McKay said of winning a third straight championship. “I think we would be remissed if we didn’t remember Scottie James, Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz, Myo Baxter-Bell, and Caleb Homesley. Those guys made some incredible deposits in this program. Even though they didn’t get to experience the fruit of their labor in last year’s Tournament, I think the residual of what they did allowed this group to get to this point of our season. It’s rewarding. Not just for us, but for anyone who has been a part of our family or program the last five or six years. It’s a blessing to be able to advance to the Tournament, it’s rather hard to do. I know the guys in that locker room, I know they are very appreciative of this opportunity and very thankful for being able to do this.”
Darius McGhee was named ASUN Tournament MVP while Liberty’s Kyle Rode and Chris Parker were each named to the all-Tournament team.
Liberty will now await its NCAA Tournament destination, finding out where the team is slotted in the Big Dance on Selection Sunday, March 14. The entire tournament, which begins Friday, March 12, is being held in Indiana and primarily in Indianapolis.
“It’s difficult to do, especially with the level of coaches that are in this league and some really good players,” McKay said. “Anytime you win a championship it is special. I feel really privileged to be the ASUN representative. I know our guys will look back on it one day and they will celebrate their accomplishments, but I also don’t want to put a ceiling on what this program can get accomplished. I think we can continue to grow in a way and invest in our daily improvement, I think we will have a chance to maybe not result in a championship every time, but I think we can be competitive for one on most occasions.”
