The Flames pick up their 2nd consecutive win as they beat Longwood 90-76. Here are our main takeaways from the game:
- With the win, Liberty remains unbeaten against Longwood in the Vines Center since the Lancers moved to Division I in 2007.
- The Flames continue to play well with Joe Retic running the show. Since being inserted into the starting lineup, Liberty is 2-1, and their offensive efficiency has soared. Retic’s stats are never overly impressive (5 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds Tuesday night), but his floor game makes the Flames so much better. Liberty hit the 90 point mark for the first time against a Division I opponent this season (scored 92 against Southeastern in December).
- Drew Smith had one of his better all-around games finishing with 12 points, 8 rebounds, and a career-high 5 blocks in just 20 minutes. He picked up 2 fouls early in the 1st half which limited his playing time. And, of course, he had another #SCTop10 worthy putback dunk off a missed Gielo 3 midway through the 2nd half. He only attempted 6 field goals, and he’s developed into the player that should have offensive sets called for him.
- John Caleb Sanders had his best game in a long time, maybe his best game all conference season. He went for 22 points, the first time he’s scored 20 or more in conference play this year. He’s only reach 15 points 1 time in conference play – in the win over VMI on January 11th. His play is another side effect of Retic being the primary ballhander as JC has been allowed to play off the ball. Sanders has just 3 turnovers in the 3 games Retic has started. He’s had 3 or more turnovers in a single game 14 times this season.
- Liberty was paced by Sanders’ 22 points and Antwan Burrus and Tomasz Gielo who had 20 points a piece. Gielo was 4-for-7 from 3 and also had 7 rebounds. Burrus had a quiet 20 points on 10-for-15 field goal shooting.
- Davon Marshall had been surging of late with 3 straight games scoring in double figures, but he struggled against Longwood finishing with just 2 points on 1-for-6 shooting from the field.
- Lucas Woodhouse may be developing into a Liberty killer. The sophomore guard scored 24 points and knocked down 6 of his 13 3-point field goal attempts. He scored 27 points against the Flames in their first meeting.
- The Flames shot 58% from the field and 41% from 3-point range. Liberty dominated the Lancers in the paint, outscoring them 50-22.
- Liberty had just 8 turnovers on the night.
- With the win, Liberty forces Longwood into a 6th place finish in the North Division. The Lancers will be the 6 seed from the North in next week’s Big South Tournament. Liberty will finish 4th with a win over Radford and losses by Campbell against Radford and High Point.
