Flames come alive in overtime

Well before 6-foot-4 backup guard Bill Weaver walked out to center court for the jump ball at the start of the second overtime, Saturday’s game between Liberty and William & Mary was far from ordinary.
For starters, the two teams had already shot a combined 62 3-pointers during regulation. William & Mary point guard David Schneider attempted 24 treys himself.
Secondly, with everyone bombing away from all over the court, Liberty’s deadliest shooter, Seth Curry only hit two 3s all game. Despite poor shooting from Curry in regulation, he came up clutch in overtime, scoring 13 of his 21 points in the final 10 minutes to lead the Flames to an 80-74 victory in the championship game of the Liberty Thanksgiving Classic.
Curry was forced to carry the overtime load after Anthony Smith fouled out with 2:42 left in the second half. On top of that, guard Brolin Floyd left the game with just over seven minutes remaining after falling hard and injuring his right ankle. Despite the absence of two of the Flames’ starters, Smith was confident that Curry and fellow freshman Jesse Sanders were up to the challenge.
“I knew they were going to pull it out. They’re strong-willed and they’re winners,” Smith said.
Along with the rest of the Flames, Curry regained his touch in the extra sessions and finished 9-for-19 from the floor. Unlike the first and second halves, when Curry primarily settled for perimeter shots, he slashed his way into the lane for two early overtime buckets.
“I was more aggressive getting into the paint. I knew I had to get a shot late in the clock,” Curry said.
His biggest bucket of the night came with 18 seconds left in the first overtime with Liberty trailing 71-68. With everyone in the gym knowing that Curry would take the shot, he calmly dribbled to the right wing, pump faked his defender off his feet, and sank the jumper.
Curry was named tournament MVP and also tied a program record by playing all 50 minutes.
Sanders and Smith were named to the All-Tournament team along with Curry. Sanders’ 46 minutes almost equaled Curry on a night where Sanders did all the little things on his way to 11 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Sanders again filled the role of floor general that Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said was his from the start of this young season.
“I’ve been comfortable with him from day one. I’m really proud of him,” McKay said.
Sanders has quietly been one of the Flames’ most consistent performers and provides a dimension that Liberty has lacked in the past — grit.
Nowhere was that more evident than during a stretch late in the first half. After a Danny Sumner dunk snapped a 5-0 Liberty run, Sanders answered with a tough left-handed reverse layup. Shortly after, Sanders broke up a three-on-two William & Mary breakaway by taking a charge and, just seconds later, stole a Tribe pass in the backcourt that led to a Liberty bucket.
“Jesse is a phenomenal point guard and a phenomenal communicator on the court,” Smith said. “He plays so hard and you can’t replace that effort.”
The double-overtime win marked the first time that a McKay-coached Liberty team has played extra fames. The last time the Flames went overtime was in 2002, a 75-game stretch.
William & Mary’s own version of Sanders came in the form of Schneider, who received stitches for a cut over his eye and lost half a tooth diving after a loose ball in the first half. Despite the injury, Schneider played 45 minutes and hit two 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds of regulation.
“I knew if I could walk, I was going to play,” Schneider said.
Schneider scored a game-high 26 points, had seven assists and was named to the All-Tournament team with teammate Danny Sumner. Schneider came into the game sporting a 14-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last three games and recorded seven assists to only one turnover in the losing effort.
Sumner and Schneider entered the game averaging a combined 37.5 points and easily eclipsed that mark, scoring 46 of their team’s 74 points. However, the duo only shot 37 percent from the floor, and just 28.5 percent from behind the arc. The pair also connected on three back-door lobs that caught the Liberty defense flat-footed.
“That play has worked for a long time. Danny’s a sensational leaper and anytime you can throw it up near the rim, I know Danny’s going to get it,” Schneider said.
McKay knew coming into the game that fatigue and lack of size would present a problem for the Flames. Six-foot-11 Carter McMasters played only four minutes and 6-5 Smith was the tallest LU player on the court for most of the game.
“It’s who we are right now,” McKay said. “Until we get guys healthy, we’re just going to be a little smaller.”
McKay was pleased with how his young team responded after playing on little rest and losing two of their starters before overtime.
“I think this is a great win for us considering the circumstances. Brolin Floyd get hurt. … Anthony Smith fouls out. … And all of a sudden the game is tied,” McKay said. “It was a great team effort.”
The consolation game between Coker University and South Carolina State came down to a thrilling conclusion as well. The game was tied at 61 with two minutes to play. Neither team could score down the stretch and, with just 24 seconds remaining, South Carolina State hit a 3-pointer to take a 64-61 lead.
Coker answered with a three of its own with 10 seconds remaining, but South Carolina State’s Jason Flagler nailed a pull up from the top of the key as time expired to win the game.