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OREM — Liberty did not come all the way to Orem from the east coast to lose.
The visiting team used the first seven minutes of game time to build up an 8-point lead and never looked back in a 79-63 win over Utah Valley Wednesday night.
The Wolverines reduced the margin to five, but it didn't last long as the Flames built up a 10-point on a 3-pointer from Kyle Rode, who had 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting, seven rebounds, and five assists for the Flames.
The first half ended with Liberty shooting 84% from the field to hold a 12-point lead over Utah Valley at the break. Utah Valley's field goal percentage may not have been as high as Liberty's, but the Wolverines manage to shoot 100% from the free-throw line on 7-of-7 shooting.
"That's definitely a silver lining," Wolverines head coach Todd Phillips said.
Liberty finished the game shooting 60% to Utah Valley's 39%.
The Flames' momentum continued into the second half as the team went on a 10-0 run over the Wolverines to control a 21-point lead. Utah Valley's defense succeeded in holding off Liberty enough to cause a two-minute scoring drought for the Flames; however, when the drought ended with a jumper from Rode, the energy continued on.
Osiris Grady led the Wolverines with 16 points and six rebounds, followed closely by Trevin Dorius' 15 points, eight rebounds, and one of the two 3-pointers for the night for Utah Valley.
"The end of the day, you know, we've just got to be tougher as a team, and that's kind of my job to figure how we build that toughness," Phillips said.
