Liberty (18-8, 9-2) dropped a tough game at Jacksonville (16-8, 8-4) on Saturday night, 73-69. The Dolphins finished the game on a 7-0 run to outlast the Flames on their home floor. Despite the loss, Liberty remains alone in first place atop the ASUN standings, one game ahead of both Jacksonville State and Bellarmine in the loss column, after JSU lost to Central Arkansas on Saturday.

“Hard fought game,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay after the game. “Jacksonville deserved the victory. They were very, very physical, really wanted to win the game badly, so did we. They were just better than us in the second half.”

It was a tale of two halves as the Flames controlled the game in the opening 20 minutes, entering the halftime break with a 10 point lead at 42-32. Darius McGhee scored 26 points in the first half, but the Dolphins were able to keep him in check in the second half as he finished the game with 30 points. Jacksonville outscored Liberty, 40-27, after intermission.

The Flames will remain in Jacksonville to take on North Florida on Tuesday night at 7 pm. Liberty has never defeated the Ospreys at UNF Arena, the sight of where the Flames won the 2021 ASUN Tournament. UNF is currently 8-18 overall and 4-8 in ASUN play entering their game at Kennesaw State Saturday night. They have won four out of their last six games.

Here are our three main takeaways from today’s game:

FLAMES UNABLE TO OVERCOME 12 MINUTES WITHOUT FIELD GOAL

Liberty made a bucket with 3:19 left in the first half as Darius McGhee’s runner put the Flames up 10 in the closing minutes of the first half. That would be the last made field goal for Liberty for 12:13 of game time as the Flames were unable to break the seal on the bucket until the 11:06 mark of the second half.

During that stretch, the Flames would go from a 10 point lead to a one point deficit as Jacksonville stormed back into the game. The cold spell would end on a Kyle Rode three pointer to put Liberty back on top at 51-49. The Flames would miss all 12 of their shot attempts over that span, including several good looks from both behind the arc and in the paint.

TALE OF TWO HALVES

As mentioned above, it was a tale of two halves. Liberty controlled the first half and looked as though they would coast to another win in the ASUN. The Flames led by 10 at halftime, and Darius McGhee was having another one of his epic scoring performances. He had scored 26 points in the first half to pace the team.

The flip would script in the second half though, as Jacksonville quickly cut into Liberty’s lead before pulling in front. Over the final 11 minutes, the game would go back and forth as each team traded blows throughout. After his strong performance in the first half, McGhee would only make one bucket in the second half, coming with 2:56 left in the game. The Flames were just 8 of 28 (28.6%) from the field in the second half.

“They are really good defensively,” said McKay. “Their numbers would back that up. It’s the game plan now, just be as physical as you can with Darius. You’ve got to grab him and hold him, you pick up a couple fouls, so be it. If they don’t call it the whole game, it’s to your advantage.”

FLAMES HAD THEIR OPPORTUNITIES DOWN THE STRETCH

This marks the first time Jacksonville has ever defeated Liberty in men’s basketball, as the Flames were victorious in the first eight meetings with the Dolphins. JU wanted to prove they belonged in the conversation among the top of the ASUN by knocking off the three-time defending conference champions.

“It’s saying something when there is a court storm afterwards,” McKay stated. “It’s really hard to win every game. It’s really hard, especially on the road. That was a great game. That was a really good college basketball game that’s going to get us better. If we don’t win every game, we’re not failures. We just got to keep striving and improving.”

Despite all that went wrong in the second half, Liberty still had taken control of the game and looked like it would pull a tight win out on the road. The Flames were up by three and true freshman Joseph Venzant was going to the line for a 1-and-1 with 55 seconds left in the game. Venzant has made 80.4% of his free throws this season, but he would miss the front end.

Jacksonville’s Kevion Nolan would drill a three from the corner just 15 seconds later to tie the game at 69. Consecutive turnovers on the next two possessions for Liberty combined with four straight free throws for the Dolphins would end the game.

“Jacksonville, they are a good team,” said McKay. “It’s a reason they are in second place in the East and whatever their record is. I want to explain in victory and in defeat why I thought we got whichever outcome was given. We had opportunities. (Joseph Venzant) goes to the line with a minute to go, we missed a 1-and-1, he’s been solid at the line. Keegan, the ball slips out of his hands, they won the game.”