FLAMES TOPPLE DEFENDING CHAMPS IN FRONT OF RECORD CROWD IN ALLEN ARENA - Mar 11, 2019

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - In its debut in the ASUN Conference Men's Basketball Championship, Liberty came away the conference title and automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament with a 74-68 victory against top-seeded Lipscomb. Led by ASUN Championship Most Valuable Player, Scottie James (6'7''-F-96), the Flames went against a hostile crowd of 5,687 which set a facility record for attendance and marked the seventh-straight sell-out crowd for the conference final.
Lipscomb led for the majority of the first half, but Liberty end the opening stanza on a 9-0 run to hold the 29-28 advantage in Allen Arena. Lovell Cabbil (6'3''-G)'s drive in the closing seconds moved the Flames ahead of the Bisons for the fifth-lead change in the first half. Kenny Cooper topped all scorers at the break with eight points as he added four rebounds. First Team All-Conference members, Scottie James & Caleb Homesley (6'4''-G) led the way for Liberty as James tallied seven points and Homesley pulled down six boards with three assists. Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz added six points for the Flames.
All-Freshman Team selection, Ahsan Asadullah (6'8''-C) contributed in a multitude of way with six points, seven rebounds including five on the offensive end to go along with two steals and a block. First Team All-Conference nod Rob Marberry (6'7''-F-96) tallied six points with two rebounds, while ASUN Player of the Year Garrison Mathews (6'5''-G) was held to four points on 1-of-5 shooting from the floor. Both teams struggled from the floor as defense was on display as the Bisons & Flames combined to shoot 3-of-20 from deep.
In total, the contest saw 23 lead changes in a back-and-forth affair as the game sat tied on six scorelines. Liberty outscored Lipscomb, 45-40, out of halftime aided by six three pointers on 11 attempts. The Bisons made 15-of-22 field goal attempts and 4-of-8 from deep but committed eight turnovers to only two for Liberty in the second half. Mathews finished with a game-high 21 points with 17 coming in the second half, while Marberry ended with 18 and 12 after the break. Four Flames players ended in double-figure scoring with James (17), Pacheco-Ortiz (16), Cabbil (14) and Homesley (11). Homesley added a game-high eight assists with only one turnover. Cooper registered 14 points for Lipscomb to go along with four assists.

A-Sun Tournament Final: Liberty - Lipscomb 74-68
A-Sun Tournament Semifinals:
Liberty - N.Florida 71-63
Lipscomb - NJIT 78-55

Courtesy of asunsports.org