Liberty Flames Men’s basketball suffers first ASUN loss to Lipscomb Bisons

 A spectacular month of January for the Liberty Flames men’s basketball team ended with a thud, as the Lipscomb University Bison strutted into the Vines Center Tuesday, Jan. 29, and routed the Flames, 79-59. 

The humbling loss was by far the worst of an otherwise outstanding month for Liberty, as the Flames were riding an eight-game winning streak while maintaining an undefeated record at home and in conference play before facing the Bison. They had also tied the program’s best season start, accumulating an 18-4 record. 

The excellence seen in the first 22 games, however, was nowhere to be found in Liberty’s first loss to an ASUN Conference opponent. A disciplined Lipscomb team outworked the Flames to improve to 17-4 overall while becoming the last unbeaten team in the ASUN at 8-0. 

“We got exposed in some areas we obviously need to get better in,” Liberty Head Coach Ritchie McKay said. “Credit goes to them and their coaching staff. We’ve got to do a better job of preparing our guys to play against a team like that because that’s a really good team.” 

The highly-anticipated matchup between the two ASUN powerhouses was controlled by the Bison from start to finish. They led 42-24 at halftime and were up by as many as 29 points after halting a marginal Flames push midway through the second half. 

“They just played a lot better than us (and) a lot harder than us tonight,” Liberty guard Caleb Homesley said. “And we took a step back, so we need to do better.” 

 Homesley, a redshirt junior, led Liberty with 12 points and four rebounds, although he shot only 5-of-16 from the floor. Senior guard Lovell Cabbil, Jr. was the only other Flame in double figures, with 11 points on 2-of-7 shooting. 

Lipscomb held the Flames to 37.3 percent shooting overall, including an atrocious 4-of- 22 from 3-point range. The Bison also forced 12 Flames turnovers. 

“They came in prepared,” Cabbil said. “We helped them out … playing on the perimeter instead of playing inside-out. And I think it’s really hard to win games when you play around the perimeter.” 

While Liberty struggled with inefficiency on offense, Lipscomb converted on 55.4 percent of their field goal attempts, including making 9-of-18 from beyond the arc. 

Guard Garrison Matthews was the Bison’s leading scorer with 22 points and was an economical 5-of-8 from behind the three-point line and 7-of-13 overall. 

“I think we were poor on the defensive end, and we were even poorer on the offensive end,” McKay said. 

The thrashing was a major disappointment for a Flames fan-base that had been steadily growing in the wins leading up to the Lipscomb matchup. Mostly all donning red, Liberty students and fans set the season attendance record for the second consecutive home contest. 

McKay said this game had received more national attention than any other in his six seasons coaching the Flames. 

“I get, for an 18- to 22-year-old, that’s tough to deal with,” McKay said of the added hype. “It’s a little bit elusive or a mirage because you kind of think you’ve arrived. And, obviously, we haven’t arrived.” 

But McKay was quick to say that it was not “doomsday” for the Flames. 

They still have eight games left in the regular season conference schedule, including a rematch at Lipscomb Feb. 13, with the ASUN tournament and a possible NCAA Tournament bid after that. 

“We have a good team that’s mature,” McKay said. “We’ll bounce back.”