Flames Turn in Dominant First Half, Down NC Central 79-63

Head Coach Ritchie McKay Press Conference

Darius McGhee and Brody Peebles Press Conference

Liberty turned in a dominant first half against NC Central and went on to a 79-63 victory at Liberty Arena, Monday evening.

The Flames improve to 2-1 on the season, including a 2-0 home mark. Meanwhile, the Eagles fall to 0-3.

Liberty’s Darius McGhee led the way with a team high and game-high 27 points, including six three pointers. Six other Flames contributed six or more points in the winning effort, with Brody Peebles (12 points) also joining McGhee in double figures.

Box Score Highlights

Liberty Individuals: Darius McGhee 27 points, 6-10 3FG, 4 assists; Brody Peebles 12 points, 4-7 FG; Kyle Rode 7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists; Blake Preston 7 points, 6 rebounds; Colin Porter 5 points, 5 assists, 4 steals

NC Central Individuals: Justin Wright 16 points, 2 steals; Devin Butts 10 points

Key Team Stats: The Flames shot over 50 percent for the second time in as many home games this season, finishing at 52.5 percent (32-of-61) for the evening. Liberty knocked down 11-of-24 three-point attempts (45.8 percent), led by six triples from Darius McGhee. The Flames made 17-of-30 shots (56.7 percent) in the opening half and forced eight Eagles turnovers on the way to a 45-21 lead at intermission.

Thoughts From Head Coach Ritchie McKay

“I just want to send our thoughts and prayers to Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr.’s families as well as Tyler Johnson’s. Those men passed away recently in Charlottesville and Lynchburg. It’s tragic, and I mean that when I say our thoughts and prayers go out to them. I can’t articulate enough the gratitude I get to experience just being here and getting to do life with our players. Two of my sons are in our family, and we get to do it every day. My heart breaks for those families.”

Turning Point

Liberty raced out to a 23-9 lead in the game’s first nine minutes. Darius McGhee connected on a trio of three-pointers in the first 3:12 of the game.

McGhee scored 20 of his game-high 27 points before halftime, including a highlight-reel four-point play with 17.8 seconds left in the opening frame. McGhee drew contact from NC Central’s Marque Maultsby and hoisted a left-handed shot that banked in. The redshirt senior converted the four-point play, helping Liberty take a 24-point lead into the break (45-21).

NC Central shot over 50 percent (53.8 percent, 14-of-26) in the second half but go no closer than 15. The Eagles trailed 72-57 with 5:39 remaining, but the Flames went on a 7-0 run and held their opponent to only one field goal the rest of the way to preserve the double-digit victory.

Key Stats & Notes

• McGhee eclipsed the 20-point mark for the 36th time in his career. The guard had 20 points before the break. The last time McGhee scored 20 points in a half was in Liberty’s 100-93 home overtime win over Kennesaw State on Feb. 26, 2022. In that game, he scored 21 points in the second half plus 16 more in overtime.

• McGhee went over 1,900 points for his career and currently ranks fifth in school history with 1,916 points.

• Brody Peebles (12 points) scored in double figures for the third straight contest, the first time he has had a three-game streak in double digits in his Flames career. Peebles is the team’s second-leading scorer at 13.0 points per game while shooting percent (14-of-25) from the floor.

• Liberty held a 36-26 edge in rebounding, with six players collecting three or more boards

• Redshirt senior forward Blake Preston scored seven points and added six rebounds, three assists and a block in 19:47 of action. Preston eclipsed the 500-point mark for his career and has 506 points after tonight.

• Prior to tonight, the last time the Flames had a 20 or more point lead at halftime against a Division I foe was when they led 53-27 at home versus Delaware State on Dec. 6, 2021

• Tonight’s matchup was the first all-time meeting between the Liberty and NC Central in men’s basketball.

• The Flames improve to 28-3 all-time at Liberty Arena.

Up Next

Liberty will play its next game against unbeaten Southern Miss (3-0), Friday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Liberty Arena. This will be the second all-time meeting between the two squads and first in nearly 10 years (Nov. 21, 2012).

Main Photo at Top of Story: No. 32 Blake Preston

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