Game #13 - Liberty Flames

           Game #13
Liberty University Flames
Conference: Big South
Location: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee
Date: Monday, December 31th
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
TV: none
Live Video: Catamount All Access




Liberty head coach Dale Layer enters his fourth season with the Flames, and returns two of his top five scorers from last season – John Caleb Sanders and Tavares Speaks.

The Liberty Flames were selected to finish fourth in the Big South Conference North Division for the 2012-13 season. Liberty is coming off a 14-18 season, finishing fifth in last year's Big South standings. This season, Liberty is 2-10 overall, with wins over Div III Southern Virginia and NAIA's  Milligan College. The Flames will play Union College (NAIA) on December 28, prior to the Western Carolina game. 

The Flames are currently led in scoring by junior Davon Marshall (guard / 5-11 / 170) with 11.9 ppg and junior John Caleb Sanders (guard / 6-0 / 180) with 10.1 ppg and  4 rebounds per game. Sanders scored a career high 24 points against Milligan in the Flames last outing. Marshall is first in the Big South in three-pointers per game, averaging nearly three per contest. Junior JR Coronado (forward / 6-8 / 245) leds the Flames in rebounding this season, with 8.5 per game and is ranked third among Big South players in rebounding.

Liberty is averaging 59.9 points per game on the season, shooting 39.6% from the field, while averaging 7.6 three pointers per game and averaging 15.9 turnovers per game. Liberty is tops among Big South squads in three-point field goal defense, forcing opponents to shoot 28.6 percent from long range and remain 11th in the nation in three-point field goal defense.

Redshirt junior Joel Vander Pol (center / 6-10/ 230) has returned to the lineup after missing the first 9 games of the season, he is currently averaging 10 minutes per game since his return.  At this point in his development for this season, I do not expect Vander Pol to be a difference maker for the Flames in this game.


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