Liberty Pick Up Second Straight SEC Win, Defeating South Carolina

Liberty is 2-0 this season against the SEC.

Liberty University basketball (WSLS)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Liberty won its second straight game over an SEC school, handing South Carolina its first loss of the season, 78-62, in the opening round of the Hall of Fame Classic Presented by ShotTracker. Liberty improves to 2-1 on the season and will face the winner of the TCU/Tulsa matchup.

First Half

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Liberty was exceptional in the first half scoring 43 points, the most the Flames have scored in a first half this season. The Flames picked up right where they left off against Mississippi State from the three-point line, shooting 47 percent (8-17) from beyond the arc. Liberty had seven players score double-figures, led by Kyle Rode’s nine points. While the offense was running on cylinders, the Flames had their best defensive performance of the season, giving up just 26 points, the fewest allowed in a half this season.

Second Half

The Flames continued to shoot lights out from the field, making 60 percent (12-20) of their shots in the second half. Eight players would score in the second half led by Rode’s nine points. The Flames continued to frustrate South Carolina’s offense, as the Gamecocks made just one three-pointer in the second half.

Key Stats & Notes

· Liberty’s 16-point win is the largest over an SEC school in program history.

· Liberty has five players score double-figures led by Rode’s career-high 18 points.

· Liberty led for just over 31 minutes.

· Liberty’s defense allowed a season-low 62 points, forcing South Carolina to shoot 33 percent.

· South Carolina shot 2-11 (18 percent) from the three-point line.

· Liberty is 2-0 this season against the SEC.

· Liberty has defeated six Power Five schools in the last four seasons.

· Liberty recorded 16 assists while holding South Carolina to seven.

· Liberty shot a season-best 72 percent (13-18) from the free-throw line.

Thoughts from Head Coach Ritchie McKay

“I like our group and I like our culture. The guys that graduated have a part of all of our success. Our assistant coaches have done a great job recruiting and developing so it’s coming together. When you lose 70 percent of your scoring and 63 percent of our rebounding, as a coach you always have some anxiousness trying to replace the guys we lost would be hard for any program but to our guys’ credit, given the early season schedule they’ve battled and had a belief that we are a good program and can compete on any given night.”

Up Next

Liberty face either TCU/Tulsa in the Hall of Fame Classic Championship Powered by ShotTracker. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN2.