James a power in the post, Liberty wallops High Point 65-45

Feb 24, 2018, 09:23 pm

LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Scottie James scored 21 points, 15 after halftime, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots as Liberty dominated inside and clobbered High Point 65-45 on Saturday, pulling even with Panthers in the Big South Conference.

The four blocked shots is a career best for the 6-foot-7 sophomore. His presence at the low post, and 9 of 11 shooting, helped Liberty to a 34-22 scoring edge in the paint, 11-4 on second-chance points. The Flames (18-13, 9-9) had eight steals and scored 18 points off 14 high Point turnovers, while committing just five themselves.

Elijah Cuffee added 11 points for Liberty, which shot 45 percent from the floor (25 of 56) and made seven 3-pointers. The Flames ended a two-game skid and posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1997.

Jahaad Proctor led High Point (14-15, 9-9) with 16 points, but was 6-of-13 shooting as the Panthers were held to 31 percent (16 of 52).

The tangled Big South Tournament seedings will be sorted out after Saturday's games.