LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) — No Southeastern Conference team had ever visited Liberty Arena until Missouri on Thursday night. There may reluctance on the part of SEC members to return.
Darius McGhee scored 20 points and Shiloh Robinson scored a career-high 15 and Liberty beat the Tigers 66-45 in a game that was never close.
Liberty blitzed Missouri with a 20-5 start in the first 9:45 and pushed the lead to 33-7 on McGhee's layup with 4:37 before halftime. Liberty lead 35-14 at the break as the Tigers shot 3 for 21.
Missouri never got within 15 points in the second half.
Keegan McDowell added 12 points for the Flames (4-3).
Kobe Brown scored 14 points with 10 rebounds for Missouri (4-4) and Amari Davis scored 13.
Liberty moved its record to 5-5 against the SEC since the 2018-19 season. Missouri was the first Power Five school Liberty faced at home since 2009 when it hosted Clemson; a 79-39 loss.
Missouri beat Liberty 69-60 on Dec. 9, 2020 at Columbia, Missouri after the Flames beat South Carolina and Mississippi State of the SEC at neutral sites last season.
Liberty now has defeated eight Power Five opponents under coach Ritchie McKay, including Mississippi State in the NCAA Tournament in 2019.
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