McGhee Magic: Liberty point guard’s monstrous first half propels Flames to ASUN Quarterfinal victory

March 5, 2022, was the night the Bellarmine Knights strolled into Liberty Arena and dealt the Flames a wrenching semifinal loss on their home court. Nearly one year later, Liberty decided to repay the favor with a decisive 76-56 route of the Knights on that same court.

The deciding factor? None other than the ASUN Conference player of the year himself, Darius McGhee. The fifth-year senior had a night to remember, tallying 29 points, six assists and a berth to the ASUN semifinal round.

McGhee’s magic, however, didn’t appear until a few minutes after tipoff.

The Knights had jumped out to an 8-7 advantage early on, indicating that the Flames first round of tournament play may come down to the wire. The Bellarmine team that had advanced to the quarterfinal round off a buzzer-beater just one night prior initially appeared to have no intention of slowing down.

That is until the Roxboro native decided to let it fly.

The one-point lead was the final one Bellarmine would see all night. On the Flames next four possessions, McGhee would sink shots from all over downtown, shifting the scoreboard in Liberty’s favor and treating the Liberty Arena crowd to yet another show.

Each shot McGhee put in had its own style. The first appeared effortless, as Kyle Rode found his wide-open teammate who laid it right in the basket. The second was a jaw-dropper, as the 5-foot-9 point guard let it loose just a few steps beyond the halfcourt line. The perfect shot from the logo jolted the arena, as it became evident McGhee was simply having one of those nights.

After the halfcourt beauty, McGhee proceeded to steal the ball away from Bellarmine’s Juston Betz, carry it down the court and swiftly deliver another triple for his team. He would go on to score the next eight points for the Flames, accounting for 26 of the team’s 48 heading into the locker room.

“He’s got unlimited range,” Head Coach Ritchie McKay said. “It probably was a little unnoticeable, but we were trying to find him on every possession. Just the sacrifice that those other players make to recognize who’s got it going a little bit just speaks to the character of this group. That’s why they’re so fun to coach.”

It was, in fact, noticeable. As the clock was winding down to the final seconds of the first half, the Liberty offense was evidently looking to get the ball in the hands of its impact player. Rode managed to locate McGhee, who avoided Betz and added another 3 with merely seconds on the clock. McGhee ended the first half 8-10 from beyond the arc, just one shy of the program record set by himself just months earlier.

“The ball was just going in,” McGhee said. “It’s just the beauty of the game of basketball. I think just pursuing the best possible shot in the possession and still staying aggressive regardless if the ball went in or not.”

Coming out of the locker room, the offensive effort evened out for the Flames. Freshman point guard Colin Porter saw eight of his 11 points delivered in the second half, with Rode adding five and Blake Preston adding four. Joseph Venzant finished the night with seven points and seven rebounds, as the Flames shot 56% from the field. Zach Cleveland provided gritty play off the bench, coming away with a career-high eight rebounds.

The Knights would not be as fortunate, completing the quarterfinal 46.9% from the field and 5-18 from downtown. Guard Alex Prfiem led his team in points, tallying 13 total. Right behind Prfiem was guard Garrett Tipton, accounting for 12 points.

“(Bellarmine) got out to an early lead, but I think our guys’ response is typical of (how) they’ve continued to respond when we’ve faced some interference during the game,” McKay said. “They’ve been fairly unwavering in our pursuit, and the crowd gave us a great boost tonight.”

As the buzzer made the 76-56 final official, it was simply on to the next for McKay’s group.

“Tonight, there wasn’t really a revenge factor. It was more so just (trusting) what we do and trust the game plan that’s been given to us … playing with freedom,” McGhee said. “These games obviously have some weight to them, but the more you can be sharp and play with freedom, the better you’re gonna be.”

Shortly after events concluded at Liberty Arena, the rest of the ASUN wrapped up its thrilling contests. Kennesaw State managed to stay alive against underdog Queens, pulling off a 67-66 triumph.

This means that Liberty’s next opponent will be No. 3 seed Eastern Kentucky, who organized a 73-48 domination of the North Alabama Lions.

The Flames will meet the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in Liberty Arena for the semifinal round on Thursday, March 2 at 7 p.m. Liberty is 1-1 against the Colonels this season, with their last matchup resulting in an 83-73 Flames victory Feb. 11.

Cory is the sports editor for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on Twitter