Flames ride momentum from fervid fan base to ASUN Championship

Liberty Arena welcomed a record 4,043 fans on Thursday to fan the Flames Men’s Basketball team to victory over Eastern Kentucky 79-73 in the ASUN Conference Semifinals. With the arena packed to the brim with energetic fans of all ages, a loud student section, and an enthusiastic band showing their all-out support up until the final buzzer, Head Coach Ritchie McKay credited Flames Nation with playing a significant role in the win.

“I say it all the time, but I think the crowd is worth five to seven points on a nightly basis when it’s like that,” McKay said at the post-game press conference. “That was a tremendous atmosphere, and Flames Nation should celebrate the assist they had in the win. That was a great college basketball atmosphere and a really good game.”

Thursday’s fan attendance surpassed the previous record of 4,041 fans set on Feb. 24 when the Flames defeated the Queens Royals 73-53 on senior night.

“I can’t speak enough to the crowd,” McKay added. “They made it fun, and I think we’re blessed to be a part of this university, to be a part of a fan base, although relatively young. We’re grateful that we get to represent Liberty and thankful that our fans helped propel us to victory.”

Liberty has benefitted heavily from fan interaction this season, with the team winning 16 straight home contests and going 18-1 at home, with an overall season record of 26-7. The Flames will not play again in Liberty Arena until the 2023-24 season, with the team traveling to Kennesaw, Ga., on Sunday to battle the Owls for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

This season will mark the fourth time that the Flames have competed in the ASUN Championship game in five years, after the Flames failed to reach the title game in 2022 with a 53-50 loss to Bellarmine at home in the ASUN Semifinals.

Liberty has also been to conference championships in five of the last six seasons, including a Big South Championship loss to Radford in 2018.

The Flames are currently 3-0 in ASUN Championship games, with a 12-1 overall ASUN tournament record. They took the title in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

McKay spoke about the team’s consistency in conference play.

“I don’t think people know how hard it is,” he said when asked about competing in five conference championships over six years. “Especially when you have an expectation or you get preseason this or that, but there’s a room full of guys out there that really have a commitment to trying to get better every day and stay in the lane of consistency and not get to distracted by the expectations or the opinions. They’ve been really process-oriented. To be able to be in five is great; I’d like to win another one.”

With the team transitioning to Conference USA for the 2023-24 season, the Flames will look to end their stay in the ASUN on top. The Flames will be joined in Conference USA by current conference opponents Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State (who will transition in 2024).

Senior Darius McGhee, Liberty’s all-time scoring leader, emphasized the importance of winning Sunday’s matchup and punching a ticket to March Madness.

“My goal is wanting to handle my responsibility to make sure that these guys can experience something great like the upperclassmen have experienced,” said McGhee, who was a member of the 2019 and 2021 teams that competed in the NCAA Tournament. “I want to do whatever I can to make sure that I can put these guys in the position to experience it.”

McGhee contributed heavily to the Flames’ victory over the Colonels, recording 29 points in addition to six rebounds and four assists.

After being down 26-13 at the 7:34 mark of the first half, McKay and company righted the ship and overcame the deficit to enter the half down by two points. The team outscored the Colonels 45-37 in the second half to secure a trip to Georgia for a chance at the title.

The ASUN Championship will kick off at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

Follow the Liberty Men’s Basketball team at LibertyFlames.edu