Liberty (12-6, 3-0) was able to defeat FGCU (11-7, 2-2) by a final score of 78-75 on Saturday night from Alico Arena in Fort Meyers, Florida. The Flames were led by a school record 48 points by Darius McGhee.
“I’m proud of our group,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay following the game. “How we came out to begin the second half was very instrumental to the outcome of the game.”
The Flames trailed by 9 at halftime, but Darius McGhee quickly erased that deficit. He went on a personal 13-0 run before the first media timeout of the second half to put Liberty back in front. McGhee’s run actually started at the end of the first half, as he scored 15 straight points in the game. He would go on to score 48 points and come through in the clutch when Liberty needed him the most.
“I had no idea how many points I had,” McGhee said after the game. “My teammates told me the last out of bounds play and I didn’t take it seriously. I honestly thought I had like 20 points.”
Liberty returns home to take on Jacksonville on Tuesday night at Liberty Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+. The Dolphins are currently 3-0 in ASUN play and 11-4 overall following their win at North Florida on Saturday.
Here are our three main takeaways from today’s game:
MCGHEE IS INSANE
Darius McGhee scored 48 points on 16 of 25 shooting from the field, 8 of 14 from three, and 8 of 8 from the charity stripe. It is his career high, besting his 41 points just a few weeks ago against Stanford in the Diamond Head Classic. It also sets the school record for most points scored in a single game, previously held by Bailey Alston who scored 46 in 1988.
“I said on the pregame show, if you haven’t seen Darius McGhee play or you’ve only seen him a few times, treasure it because that dude is a special player,” said McKay.
McGhee’s 48 points are also the most points scored in a single game by a Division I player in the country this season. He is one of three players in school history to score 40 or more points in more than one game, joining Bailey Alston (who did it three times) and Ed Vickers.
“I don’t know if I’ve seen a better individual performance,” said McKay. “Joe Harris had a 30 piece against Duke at the JPJ one year. That was pretty close. He’s fun to watch and he’s as selfless as they get. He’s capable of taking over a game like that, but he’s also willing to do whatever it takes to win and that’s a really good disposition to have.”
VENZANT WAS LOCKED IN ON DEFENSE
FGCU’s Tavian Dunn-Martin entered Saturday’s game averaging 19.6 points per game, which was good enough for second in the ASUN behind McGhee. Joseph Venzant locked the point guard up all night. He finished the game with 11 points, but he was just 2 of 17 from the field and 1 of 10 from three. He did make all six of his free throw attempts.
Venzant finished the game with 4 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block, and he was clearly the Flames’ defensive player of the game.
“For a freshman to do what he did, because Dunn-Martin, if you’ve watched him play, is special,” said McKay of Venzant. “That dude can really play. He does a lot for not just creating for his teammates, but he can go get a bucket. I thought Jo did a phenomenal job.”
HUGE ROAD WIN FOR THE FLAMES
This was a huge win for Liberty at the start of a very challenging week of games. Entering conference play, most computer models had tonight’s game as the most difficult game on the schedule remaining this season. FGCU is expected to be one of the top challengers in the ASUN’s East Division.
Liberty returns home for a game Tuesday night against Jacksonville, who is currently tied with the Flames at 3-0. Liberty will then travel to Kennesaw State to face the Owls on Thursday. KSU has started league play at 2-0. Liberty then travels to play at Central Arkansas on Saturday. The Bears have opened ASUN play at 3-1.
