Robinson Scores Career-High 27 Points in 72-54 Home Win Over North Alabama
Head Coach Ritchie McKay Press Conference
Shiloh Robinson and Kyle Rode Press Conference
Liberty’s Shiloh Robinson poured in a career-high 27 points in helping the Flames down the North Alabama Lions 72-54 in ASUN Conference action, Thursday evening at Liberty Arena.
Robinson’s career night came on 11-of-13 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. His 11 makes tonight are a career high as well. The senior forward from Kearney, Neb. also matched season highs in three-point makes (3), rebounds (6) and blocks (2) and tallied two assists and one steal.
Liberty bolsters its overall mark to 13-5 and 4-1 in the ASUN. Meanwhile, UNA slips to 9-9 and 1-4 in conference play. The Lions have lost four straight games.
Joining Robinson in double figures were Darius McGhee (16 points) and Kyle Rode (14 points).
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Shiloh Robinson 27 points, 11-13 FG, 3-4 3FG, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal; Darius McGhee 14 points, 5 assists; Kyle Rode 14 points, 5-10 FG, 4-8 3FG 4 rebounds, 4 assists; Colin Porter 7 points, 3-5 FG, 5 assists
North Alabama Individuals: Jacari Lane 17 points, 7-9 FT; Will Soucie 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals; Daniel Ortiz 10 points
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the floor and held North Alabama to 37 percent shooting (20-of-54). The Flames forced 15 Lions turnovers, which they turned into 19 points. Liberty, who came into the night ranked second in the country in three-pointers per game (11.8), made 12-of-29 (41.4 percent) of its triples. The Flames’ bench outscored the UNA bench 32-26, led by Robinson’s 27 points in 27:31 of action. Liberty held a 36-33 edge over UNA on the glass, paced by a game-high seven boards from Blake Preston. The Flames, who were in the top 10 in the nation in assists per game (18.2) entering the night, tallied 18 assists this evening.
Thoughts From Head Coach Ritchie McKay
“I thought our defense was good for the most part. I’m pleased with our effort. Shiloh obviously had a really good game. I think we’ve got a group that will pick up the pieces and take what the defense gives them, and I thought that was evident tonight. We have a group that really is mature in their response.”
Turning Point
With the game knotted at 13-13 at the 12:48 mark of the opening half, Liberty surged ahead with a 16-0 run to take command. Kyle Rode’s back-to-back threes at the 7:16 and 6:46 marks, both assisted by Darius McGhee, put the Flames ahead 29-13. Liberty held UNA to 29.6 percent shooting (8-of-27) in the opening stanza and forced eight Lions turnovers, which the Flames converted into 14 points.
Liberty led by 19, 39-20, at the break, and by as many as 25 early in the second half. The Lions used a 10-1 run later in the half to get within 13, 61-48, with 5:07 remaining in the game. Shiloh Robinson buried a three on the Flames’ next trip down the court at the 4:39 mark to extend the lead back to 16 (64-48). Robinson scored six more points after that down the stretch, with his layup at the 3:59 mark giving him a new career high. The senior forward made a free throw and then went on to make his final shot of the night, a three-pointer at the 1:26 mark, to give him 27 points and push the Liberty lead back up to 20, 72-52.
Key Stats & Notes
• Robinson is the first Liberty player other than Darius McGhee to score 27 or more points in a game since Caleb Homesley had 28 points in a home win over North Florida on Feb. 20, 2020.
• McGhee hit four threes tonight to push his career total to 452. He moved from seventh to sixth place in NCAA Division I history in career three-point makes. He needs three more triples to move into a tie for fifth place with 455 threes. Iowa’s Jordan Bohannon hit 455 triples from 2017-22.
• Liberty has now won all nine meetings with the UNA Lions.
• The Flames improve to 10-1 at Liberty Arena this season and 36-4 all-time at the facility.
• The Flames’ four ASUN wins this season have been by a combined 98 points.
• Liberty matched a season high with five blocks as a team tonight. Robinson (2) and Preston (2) both equaled season highs in blocks.
• Colin Porter’s five assists tonight gives the freshman point guard seven games this year with five or more assists.
Up Next
The Flames will host another game at Liberty Arena on Saturday night against the Central Arkansas Bears (6-12, 1-4 ASUN). Tipoff is 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
Liberty and UCA met for the first time last season (Feb. 21, 2022). The Flames topped the Bears 85-66 at the Farris Center in Conway, Ark.
Main Photo at Top of Story: No. 33 Shiloh Robinson
