Liberty returning to NCAA Tournament after winning Atlantic Sun title game

LYNCHBURG, Va. — Liberty is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row, but there is a big difference between them making it last year and doing it again.

Expectations.

“Any time you have a target on your back or you’re the team that’s expected to win, it’s hard,” coach Ritchie McKay said after the Flames took command with a long first-half run and beat Lipscomb, 73-57, in the Atlantic Sun championship Sunday.

“It’s hard to operate, navigate those expectations,” said McKay, whose team was picked to win the league. “Our group showed its emotional maturity. This afternoon was just a reflection of the growth that occurred in our guys.”

Caleb Homesley and Elijah Cuffee scored 16 points each, and Darius McGhee had 13, helping the Flames earn their fifth NCAA Tournament bid.

For Cuffee, it was a season high, and his first game in double figures since he scored 11 points in a blowout win against Kennesaw State on Jan. 30.

“I was so excited for him,” Homesley said. “He needed that game. He really did, especially for it to be that high caliber of a game.”

After close wins in the tournament quarterfinals and semifinals, Homesley said the key for the Flames was focusing on having a good time.

“The last two games, they were close, they were hard-fought and I felt like we had a little bit of fun, but we didn’t match our full potential,” he said. “I told them tonight, let’s just go out there, let’s just have fun and we’ll win the game.”

The Flames (30-4) set a school record for victories in a season. They also avenged a 77-71 loss at Lipscomb to finish the regular season.

“I thought they were fantastic today. We hit a buzzsaw for sure. … They were locked in and ready to go,” first-year Bisons coach Lennie Acuff said.

Ahsan Asadullah scored 22 and grabbed nine rebounds despite foul trouble for the Bisons (16-16), and Andrew Fleming scored 15. It was Lipscomb’s third consecutive championship appearance and second straight loss to Liberty.