Back-to-Back ASUN Champs; Liberty Returns to March Madness - Mar 9, 2020
Liberty became the ninth program in league history to claim back-to-back ASUN Conference Men's Basketball Championship titles as the top-seeded Flames defeated No. 3 Lipscomb, 73-57 Sunday in Lynchburg, Va. The Flames and Bisons played in front of 7,728 fans at the Vines Center, which set an ASUN Championship Final record for attendance. Caleb Homesley (6'4''-G) and Elijah Cuffee (6'4''-SG) each tallied 16 points in the victory, while Darius McGhee (5'9''-PG) added 13 points and Myo Baxter-Bell (6'5''-F) chipped in 12 as the Flames earned their 30th victory of the season, setting a new program record. Liberty connected on 11 three-pointers in the victory on 27 attempts, while shooting 53.8 percent (28-of-52) from the floor for the game. Scottie James (6'7''-F-96) (8) and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz (6) added to the offensive production for Liberty. Lipscomb's Ahsan Asadullah (6'8''-C) led the Bisons in scoring for the third-straight game as he set two conference tournament records. The sophomore center totaled 89 points and 42 rebounds over the course of the three tournament contests. He finished with a game-high 22 points to go along with nine rebounds and three assists. Andrew Fleming (6'6''-G-96) contributed 15 points and four boards for the Bisons. Inside The Box Score - Liberty totaled 17 assists in the win with a team-high four from Baxter-Bell. Six players dished out at least two assists including three from Homesley, Cuffee and Pacheco-Ortiz. - Homesley grabbed nine boards and collected two steals to earn ASUN Championship MVP accolades. - Lipscomb held the points in the paint advantage, 36-32, but Liberty knocked down nine more three's than the Bisons. - The Flames totaled 12 points in the fast break compared to none for Lipscomb. News & Notes - With the win, Liberty remains undefeated in the ASUN Championship with a perfect 6-0 record over its two seasons in the ASUN. - Liberty picks up its 30th win of the season to set a new program record for wins; passing last year's total of 29. - The Flames also become just the second team in ASUN history to record 30 wins in a season, previously set in 2010-11. - Despite the loss, Lipscomb sits 7-2 in its last nine ASUN Championship games over the previous three years after three-straight trips to the conference final. - Liberty is the ninth team to win back-to-back ASUN Championship titles and first to do so since FGCU in 2016-17.
Courtesy of asunsports.org
A-Sun Tournament Final: Liberty - Lipscomb 73-57 A-Sun Tournament Semifinals: Liberty - Stetson 66-62 North Florida - Lipscomb 71-73
All-Tournament MVP: Caleb Homesley (6'4''-G) of Liberty Player of the Year: Caleb Homesley (6'4''-G) of Liberty Defensive Player of the Year: David Bell (6'9''-C) of Jacksonville Freshman of the Year: Rob Perry (6'3''-G) of Stetson Newcomer of the Year: Destin Barnes (6'7''-G/F-96) of Jacksonville Co-Coach of the Year: Ritchie McKay of Liberty Co-Coach of the Year: Matt Driscoll of N.Florida
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