LYNCHBURG, Va.—The league-leading Liberty Flames opened Thursday night's ASUN game on a roll while the visiting Bellarmine Knights had a nightmarish start to the game as Liberty cruised to a 70-50 victory in Liberty Arena.
 
The Knights struggled with turnovers as Bellarmine was whistled for five early offensive fouls.  Bellarmine also had trouble getting jump shots to fall in the early going while Liberty hit 10 of their first 16 shots and held a 25-8 lead at the under 8 media timeout.  By halftime the Flames had pulled ahead 37-16 as the Knights committed 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes while shooting just 35 percent.
 
In the second half, the Knights were able to clean up the turnovers, committing just two, and outscored Liberty by one in the second period. Although Bellarmine opened the second stanza with a 9-2 run, the Knights never seriously threatened the Flames as two-time ASUN Player of the Year Darius McGhee turned in another outstanding performance with 21 points and seven assists.
 
"Our offense was poor the first half," said Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport, "it was very stagnant.  In the second half, we were much more active, much more aggressive." 
 
Davenport said the game came down to Liberty's ability to score in the lane. "To win this game," he said, "we effectively had to win the war in the paint.  In the first half they (the Flames) make three of 15 from the three, and their other 12 field goals were all in the paint and consequently we're down 10 points in the paint at the half and the game is over."  
 
For the game, Liberty outshot the Knights 51.1 percent to 40.7 percent with the home team converting 15 of 18 charity tosses while Bellarmine went 12 of 13 from the free throw line.
 
Bellarmine's offense was paced by Alec Pfriem and Garrett Tipton who both tossed in 10 points.  Langdon Hatton turned in a solid effort from the bench, sinking all four of his field goal attempts while scoring eight points and hauling in five rebounds to tie Peter Suder for team-high honors.
 
Liberty improves to 20-6 overall and 11-2 in the ASUN while Bellarmine falls to 11-15, 6-7 ASUN. 
 
However, Davenport was upbeat in the postgame radio interview.  "I can tell you how encouraged I am," he said. "I walked out of that locker room and not one guy was sitting down…they were all standing up, guy to guy encouraging each other," he said.
 
Bellarmine stays on the road to play at Queens University of Charlotte on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
The Royals, who are 16-10 and tied with BU at 6-7 in the ASUN, escaped with a 1-point win over the Knights in Freedom Hall earlier this year, winning 75-74 on January 5.  Queens dropped an 84-80 decision to Eastern Kentucky on Thursday night.
 
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