Liberty Flames Men’s Basketball defeats No. 1 Lipscomb 74-66

The Liberty University Flames needed someone to put out a fire. 

On the road against ASUN Conference powerhouse Lipscomb University Wednesday, Feb. 13, the Flames had let their 16-point second half advantage evaporate to a single possession lead.

With under 90 seconds left, Liberty senior guard Lovell Cabbil started to penetrate the Lipscomb defense before kicking it out to junior guard Caleb Homesley. Homesley quickly swung it to a wide-open Darius McGhee in the corner. 

A 5-foot-9 freshman, McGhee cocked and unloaded. 

Splash.

The three-pointer sealed the Flames’ 74-66 victory, which snapped an 11-game winning streak and a 19-game conference winning streak for the Bisons. It also served as revenge after Lipscomb came into the Vines Center and throttled Liberty, 79-59, in front of their home fans Jan. 27.

“I am a little emotional because that was a hard-fought (win) and our guys really battled,” Flames Head Coach Ritchie McKay said. “The way we lost to them last time was so bad and that was deflating to our guys. I knew this was going to be hard, and we were tough mentally and physically.”

Following their victory against Lipscomb, Liberty traveled to play the University of North Alabama Saturday, Feb. 16. Behind Cabbil’s career-high 30 points and five three-pointers, the Flames avoided a letdown with an 80-70 triumph.

“I knew after the Lipscomb game that it was going to be way harder than our guys thought, and North Alabama played really well at home,” McKay said. “They are a young team that never says die. I am proud of our guys’ effort because it is hard to win on the road in any league.”

It was a monumental week for Liberty men’s basketball, which tied a program record with the victory over North Alabama marking their 23rd of the season. The Flames previously won 23 games in a season in 1997 and 2009.

Liberty has three games remaining on their regular season schedule, plus the ASUN Conference tournament and possibly the NCAA tournament, to add to their win total. They have prevailed in 13 of their last 14 games, starting with a road win over Pac-12 opponent UCLA Dec. 29.

Liberty has started to take notice of the team’s success, with students and faculty sticking around after the weekly Campus Community service to view the game versus Lipscomb in the Vines Center.

Fans were thrilled as the Flames jumped out a double-digit halftime lead before extending the advantage to 45-29 early in the second half. They were relieved and overjoyed after McGhee delivered what may be considered the most important shot of the season to put the Flames up 67-62. 

Three nights later, Cabbil dominated, as he combined with Homesley and junior forward Scottie James to score 54 of Liberty’s 80 points. James also grabbed 14 rebounds to go along with his 11 points, while Cabbil added four assists and three rebounds.

“(Cabbil) was special tonight on both ends of the floor,” McKay said. “(I am) happy for Lovell and he finds a way to get buckets.”  

Cabbil, who hit eight of 10 field goals, will be looking to continue his hot shooting streak in Liberty’s next contest, on the road against North Florida (12-16, 6-7 in the ASUN) Saturday, Feb. 23. 

After that, the Flames play their final home game of the regular season versus Kennesaw State University (5-22, 2-10) Tuesday, Feb. 26. The game begins at 7 p.m. and will include “Senior Night” festivities honoring Cabbil, senior forward Keenan Gumbs and senior guard Zack Farquhar. 

“We need you guys to be there, be loud and pack it out like always,” McGhee said to fans in a video posted on the team’s Twitter account after the Lipscomb win.