Liberty picks up second straight win at Liberty Arena, defeats Bluefield College

Darius McGhee had his own 10-0 run in the second half to open up the Flames lead.

Liberty defeats Bluefield College 86-64 behind 21 points from Darius McGhee (Liberty Athletics)

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty remained undefeated at Liberty Arena, extending its home winning streak to 25 games after the 86-64 win over Bluefield College. With the victory, Liberty improves to 4-2 this season.

First Half

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All five of Liberty’s starters scored within the first four and a half minutes of the game, with the Flames shooting 66 percent in the first 10 minutes of the game. All nine players that saw minutes in the first half scored for the Flames led by Elijah Cuffee with 12 points. Stanley Christian and Jermiah Jenkins provided the offense for the Rams in the first half scoring 38 of Bluefield’s 43 points but Liberty was able to go into the break with a 52-43 lead.

Second Half

Liberty locked down defensively to start the second half, forcing Bluefield College to shoot 16 percent in the first five and a half minutes of the half. Darius McGhee caught fire, scoring 10 straight points, in a two-minute span, extending Liberty’s lead to 64-45 lead. Bluefield struggled on offense in the second half, shooting just 30 percent (8-26) compared to shooting 54 percent in the first half.

Key Stats & Notes

  • Liberty won its 25th straight game at home, which is the third longest winning streak in the country.
  • Liberty led for 38:48 out of 40 minutes against Bluefield College.
  • Keegan McDowell recorded a career-high seven assists.
  • Drake Dobbs scored a career-high seven points and three rebounds.
  • Liberty outscored Bluefield College 32-20 inside the paint.
  • Liberty had 10 players score against Bluefield College.
  • Liberty committed a season-low six turnovers.
  • For the fourth time this season, Chris Parker had at least five assists in a game, posting six against Bluefield College.

Thoughts from Head Coach Ritchie McKay

“Really congratulatory to Coach Morgan and his Bluefield Rams. I thought they played really hard and were very connected. They gave a ton of effort and energy and I am a little disappointed in our group. We had a little bit of casualness that has not been seen this season or in seasons past. I think it will be a chance to get our guys’ attention.”

Up Next

Liberty will hit the road for its final road game during the non-conference schedule, as they face Missouri on Wednesday, Dec. 9. It will be the third SEC opponent Liberty has faced this season. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET and can be seen on the ESPN SEC Network.