LYNCHBURG, Va. – The North Carolina Central University men's basketball team ran into an accurate Liberty squad at Liberty Arena, and the Flames came away with a 79-63 win on Monday, Nov. 14.
 
LU (2-1) quickly took control of the game after Darius McGhee (Roxboro, N.C.) knocked down five treys in the first 20 minutes.  The Flames as a team shot 56.7 percent from the floor, and 60.0 percent from downtown (9-for-15), and pushed out to a 45-21 lead at the break.
 
NCCU (0-3) gave the Flames a dose of their own medicine in the second half as the Eagles shot 53.8 percent from the floor, and outscored the hosts by a tally of 42-34.  NCCU also shot 46.7 percent (7-for-15) from the perimeter, while holding LU to just 22.2 percent (2-for-9).  Justin Wright (Greenville, N.C.) gave LU all they could handle after the intermission as he put in 13 points while shooting 3-for-3 from the arc, but the Flames were able to hold on for a 79-63 win.
 
Wright finished the game a perfect 4-for-4 from outside, and led the Eagles with 16 points, and Devin Butts (Powder Springs, Ga.) chipped in 10 points.  Fred Cleveland Jr. (Chicago, Ill.) had a complete game with eight points and a joint team-best five boards as one of his stronger performances in his early tenure with the maroon and gray.
 
McGhee made a total of six treys and 10 field goals, and put up a game-high 27 points along with four assists for LU.  Teammate Brody Peebles (Hartselle, Ala.) was the second LU athlete in double-digits with 12 points.
 
NCCU has now finished its season-opening three-game road trek, and will host Mid-Atlantic Christian on Wednesday, Nov. 16 to open the doors of McDougald-McLendon Arena.