The Flames fell behind by five points to begin the game but would respond with an 18-0 run to seize control of the game and not look back. Liberty (5-3) would coast to the 96-60 win over Delaware State (2-7) on Monday evening at Liberty Arena.
“Really excited about how our guys played on both ends of the floor, especially offensively,” said head coach Ritchie McKay. “22 assists on 29 baskets is a reflection of the kind of young men that we’ve got in our program. I don’t know if there’s a greater testament to that than Kyle Rode. Not starting, playing a season low 15 minutes, the least amount he’s probably played since the (2020) Lipscomb championship game and you would have never known.”
It was the first time since his true freshman campaign during the 2019-20 season that he did not start a game. He had started 36 straight games. McKay has used seven different starting lineups through the team’s first eight games.
“Starting doesn’t matter as much as finishing,” McKay said after the game. “I’m experimenting yes, but I’m also trying to keep guys with the right take on reality that starting doesn’t mean that you’re more important than someone else. That’s different than what I’ve done, but I feel like it’s where we’re at right now.”
The win marked the team’s 40th consecutive at home. Four players reached double figures, led by Keegan McDowell and Brody Peebles who scored 18 points each followed by Darius McGhee’s 13 points. Micaiah Abii finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.
The Flames have concluded their three-game home stand and now hit the road for one game. Liberty will face Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. EST in a neutral site game in Fort Worth, Texas and will be streamed on FloSports. The Lumberjacks are currently 7-2 on the season with their losses to top 100 teams in South Dakota State and Saint Louis.
Here are our three main takeaways from today’s game:
BRODY PEEBLES IS GOOD AT BASKETBALL
We’ve seen flashes of it early in the season, but we got our first extended glimpse of what true freshman Brody Peebles can be for the Flames this season, especially on offense. The 6’2″ guard from Hartselle, Alabama scored a team-high 18 points in the first half alone. During one stretch in the first half, he made five straight buckets and scored 13 straight points for the Flames.
He would go on to finish the game tied with Keegan McDowell with a team high 18 points. He made 6 of 8 field goals, 4 of 6 of those from behind the arc.
“A lot of my teammates finding me open, selfless,” Peebles said after the game. “I think I’m very capable of that. That’s what I want to do and what my teammates want me to do and have confidence in me to do. It’s them being selfless and me hitting the shots.”
MCDOWELL HAS BEEN LIGHTS OUT
The redshirt-senior continues to shoot lights out, particularly from behind the three-point line. That trend continued Monday night. Keegan McDowell made five of six from behind the arc in the first half as he scored 15 points to help lead the Flames. It continues a hot shooting trend in the first half of recent games. Over the past four games in the first half, McDowell has scored 54 points while shooting 17 of 26 from the floor, 15 of 21 from three, and 5 of 6 from the charity stripe.
He finished in the win over the Hornets with 18 points, making six of eight triples to go along with three assists and 2 rebounds.
“This dude is one of the best leaders,” McKay said of McDowell. “We have bookends in he and Kyle Rode that I think have elevated the renown of our program. It’s been one guy after another. He gets up here (on the media stand) because he scores a couple of points, but he really should get up here when he doesn’t score points. To have someone like him and Kyle leading the locker room, that’s invaluable. You can’t put a statistic on that. I really value what he’s done. One day the legacy that he’s left, this dude (Brody Peebles) will do.”
EVERYONE CAN SHOOT THE 3
Liberty set a new school record with 21 made three pointers on the night, making 55.3% of the team’s 38 attempts. The Flames were led by Keegan McDowell, Brody Peebles, and Darius McGhee who combined to make 14 of the team’s shots, but there were nine different players who made at least one triple on the night. The previous school record was 19 made in Liberty’s win last year against Mississippi State.
“I’ve felt like we were going to come around at some point,” said McKay. “I think it’s who we are. I think eventually, if we get good looks, I think they’re going to go in. Slow start (this season) but we haven’t stopped shooting.”
