Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – An 11-0 run midway through the second half propelled Eastern Kentucky to a 62-59 victory over Liberty on Sunday at Baptist Health Arena.  The Flames entered the game 3-0 in the ASUN Conference this season and ranked 56th in the NCAA Net Rankings.
 
After a lay-up from Colin Porter allowed Liberty to tie the game at 46-46 with 11:01 remaining, the Flames went 3:16 without scoring as the Colonels (10-7, 3-1 ASUN) rolled off 11 straight.
 
EKU (10-7, 3-1 ASUN) scored on four straight possessions, with three of them coming from 3-point range.  Turner Buttry hit one from long range on the left wing,  and then another from the left corner with 10:07 on the clock.  Devontae Blanton connected from long distance before Leland Walker finished off the run with a mid-range jumper at the 8:57 mark to put the Colonels ahead 57-46.
 
An old-fashioned three-point play by Shiloh Robinson with 1:29 left in the game allowed Liberty to close within three, 60-57.  Jonathan Jackson missed a 3-point attempt to tie at the buzzer.
 
Blanton had a team-best 16 points and eight rebounds to go along with four assists.  Robb finished with 15 points, five rebounds and two assists.  Walker had six assists.
 
Liberty (12-5, 3-1 ASUN) had beaten its first three ASUN opponents by an average of 27 points per game and held Bellarmine, Lipscomb and Jacksonville State to 47 points per contest.  The Flames also came into the game averaging the most 3-pointers per game in the nation (12.3/game).  Eastern Kentucky held the Liberty to 4-for-23 from long range (17.4 percent).  Darius McGhee, who entered the day sixth in the county in scoring at 22 points per game, was limited to seven points on 2-for-11 shooting from the field.  Brody Peebles came off the bench to lead Liberty with 13 points.
 
The Colonels will host Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday at 7 p.m.
 
The Flames grabbed a 15-10 lead on a lay-up from Blake Preston with 10:01 to go in the opening half.  Three 3-pointers allowed EKU to tie the score.  John Ukomadu hit one from the right corner.  Robb sank one from the top of the key to get the Colonels within one, 17-16.  Blanton's triple from the left wing tied it up 19-19 with 6:41 on the clock in the first.  Isaiah Cozart capped the 8-2 run with a dunk for the lead, 21-19.
 
After a free throw by Peebles gave Liberty a 25-21 lead with 5:05 before halftime, the Flames scored just four more points the rest of the half.  Robb's two free throws with 1:36 to go capped the first half scoring and gave the home squad a 30-29 edge at the break.
 
Both teams shot 40-plus percent in the first half, but combined to go 7-for-22 from behind the arc.
 
The two teams exchanged a pair of runs to start the second half.  EKU rolled off eight unanswered as the Flames went almost four minutes without scoring.  Blanton put back his own miss to start it.  Michael Moreno nailed a three from the top of the key.  Robb's 3-pointer with 15:25 left in the game had the Colonels ahead 43-35.
 
Liberty came right back and scored nine straight as Eastern Kentucky went more than three minutes without scoring.  Zach Cleveland's lay-up with 12:16 to play staked the visitors to a 44-43 advantage.