Five days before the Liberty Flames Basketball team’s regular season tipoff, the Flames took on Virginia Tech in a Hurricane Relief Exhibition game at the Vines Center at Liberty University to raise money for the relief effort.
On Sunday, Nov. 4, the arena was packed with Flames fans and a crowd of Virginia Tech Hokies fans. When the ball tipped off, the crowd went crazy.
“This is what brands Liberty,” Coach Ritchie McKay said. “We have a team of students that are leaving now to go support relief efforts. I just think it is unique, and I am glad our community would come and support it.”
Revenue from tickets sold and donations made during the game went to help LU Send Now assist victims of the hurricanes. A little over $36,000 was raised.
When the teams hit the court, Liberty gave its best against Virginia Tech, but Virginia Tech beat the Flames 84-70.
“The pressure bothered us,” McKay said. “We are still experimenting, and we are not there yet.”
The first half of the game was a close back-and-forth between the teams, and the Flames were on a roll, making three consecutive three-pointers. The Flames and Virginia Tech kept the energy high within the first half, making everyone in the arena involved in what was happening on the court.
With just seconds remaining in the first half, Caleb Homesley dunked, setting the crowd on fire, ending the first half with a score of 37-36 against the Hokies.
“We are a confident team, and we came out a lot stronger in the first half,” junior Scottie James said. “It was a good game for us, and there were a lot of things that we can learn from and we’ll look at them in practice.”
In the second half of the game, the Virginia Tech Hokies started off with possession of the ball, letting the Hokies take the lead again by scoring more than 50 points throughout the half. The Flames, trying to keep up, started pressing the Hokies with relentless pressure.
The Flames stretched within 10 points of the Hokies before the Hokies scored again, and maintained a lead the rest of the game. The game ended in a Hokies victory 84-70.
“I am very grateful and very blessed to be here,” senior forward Keenan Gumbs said. “This was a good experience for the team, just to see where we’re at. And now we gotta keep going forward as a team.”
The Flames will begin their regular season on Thursday, Nov. 8, against Maine Fort Kent back in the Vines Center at 7 p.m.