Virginia returns from Covid hiatus, dunks William & Mary
FILE - Virginia head coach Tony Bennett directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Virginia Tech in Charlottesville, Va., in this Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, file photo. I talked to them about our two pillars I said, ‘Will you be humble and will you be passionate today. I’ve been fortunate enough as a coach at Washington State to play against the good Gonzaga teams. They’re a very good team, a very talented team. I think we really just missed each other a lot and we’re all just happy to play with each other again.
Liberty runs by Alcorn State in final non-conference test
Lynchburg, Va. – Liberty closes out the 2020 calendar year with a 108-65 win over Alcorn State. Liberty started the game 6-10 from the field, while holding Alcorn State to 3-10 on offense. Liberty led Alcorn State 19-16 at the 10:26-mark and the Flames would go on a 15-3 run as the Flames continued to be efficient on offense. After shooting 58 percent in the first half, Liberty would go into the break with a 57-33 lead. Liberty outscored Alcorn State 32-18 inside the paint.
Virginia men’s basketball pauses program activities
Charlottesville, VA. – Wednesday afternoon the UVA men’s basketball program announced they are pausing all basketball related activities because of Covid-19 issues within the program. The moves comes in the wake of the ACC-BIG Ten challenge game against Michigan State being canceled. Virginia now officially postpones the William and Mary contest set for December 13th as well. The 18th ranked Cavaliers are 3-1 on the young season. Their conference opener against Wake Forest that was originally set for December 16th was postponed last week because of a Covid outbreak in the Wake Forest program.
Liberty earns a victory in first men’s game in new arena
The first game in Liberty Arena was a success for the Liberty men’s basketball team as the Flames improve to 3-2 with a 78-62 win over St. Francis (1-3). The Flames shot 53 percent from the field, led by Keegan McDowell’s career-high 21 points. First HalfLiberty did an exceptional job of getting its players involved on offense to start the game, as eight players scored for Liberty in the first half. The Flames distributed the ball well throughout the night, especially in the second half recording nine assists off 13 makes. Key Stats & Notes· Liberty shot over 50 percent for the third time this season.
Local hoops coaching legends honored at Roanoke Valley Sports Club
Roanoke, Va. – Hoops slides into the spotlight at the Roanoke Valley Sports Club this month. Area basketball coaching legends Woody Deans, Burrall Paye, Ed Greene and Troy Wells were all recognized. The Roanoke native climbed the ladder from refereeing AAU games all the way to the NCAA final four. I was fortunate enought to be hired by the ACC in 1998 and still humbled and blessed,” Ayers says. There wasn’t a single one that I didn’t love to play against and love to go home and think 'Here’s what he did.