[SuperJon]

When Coastal played App in football this year me and one of the frats started singing different songs or whatever in the 2nd half because we were getting blown out. The hymns thing sounds hilarious.

[TallyW]

A singing crowd would be so funny. Could you imagine that during a televised game?

[SuperJon]

You can only do it during blowouts though.

Well, I take that back, watch a European soccer game and they sing and chant the entire time.

[lu06]

Hey, are we seriously discussing the "overrated" chant? I could have sworn that we just beat Winthrop. Are we seriously discussing a petty chant? LU JUST BEAT WINTHROP. We are on the war path! Come on fellas, let's enjoy this. This is the greatest upset of the season for the BSC. Don't discuss a chant. Please. Coach D coached it well and we shot 24 of 28 from the line. 85% from the line?LU? let's enjoy this.

[PAmedic]

Thank God for you guys! I missed the entire game due to a board mtg that ran late at work- I logged on and saw 9 pages on the WU game and knew that had to be good news! I read the whole thing and it was just like watching the game- heart was pounding for the last 3 minutes 'cause I wouldn't skip forward to read the end.

UNBELIEVABLE! MAD props to Coach for spurring these guys on to the potential we knew they had(guess the guys are "living right" after all, huh? SORRY, had to do that!) and to the LU fan base- better late than never! Guess SJ learned what its like to be at Vines when times are good, huh? Wish I could have been there w/ you guys.

And SCARs rap sounded darned funny! REAL sorry I missed that- I'll have to download it.

[PAmedic]

PS: you know its a good night when SLY's post count jumps by 60+

[PAmedic]

Blair’s 37 Points Propels Flames To Upset Victory Over Top-Ranked Winthrop

February 20, 2006 · Lynchburg, Va.

Larry Blair saved one of his best performances of the season for the league’s best team and his 37 points were good enough to lift Liberty to a 78-71 upset victory over Winthrop, Monday evening, at the Vines Center.

With the victory, the Flames up their conference record to 3-11 on the year (7-20 overall), while the win gives Liberty a one-game lead over VMI for the last spot in the upcoming Big South Basketball Championship with two games remaining.

The loss drops Winthrop to 11-3 in conference play (18-7 overall) and allows the Eagles to fall back into a two-way tie for first in the conference along with Birmingham-Southern with the two teams scheduled to square off against each other on Saturday in Birmingham, Ala. after a pair of home games on Thursday.

In a battle of two of the top ranked defenses in the league, it was Liberty that bested Winthrop as the Flames held the Eagles to just 36.8 percent shooting on the night (21-of-57), while the Flames shot 46.3 percent from the field (25-of-54).

The contest was truly a back-and-forth struggle as the game saw 15 lead changes and 16 times when the score was tied, while neither team led by more the six until late in the contest.

The two teams traded baskets over the first seven minutes of the game as Blair (Jr.. G. Charlotte, N.C.) knotted the game at 15-15 with 13:05 left to play by hitting one of two free throw attempts. Five minutes later, Torrell Martin took a pass from Otis Daniels to give Winthrop at two-point edge, 20-18, at the 8:47 mark.

A pair of free throws 90 seconds later by Daniels once again gave Winthrop a two-point lead, but Liberty reeled off six-straight points to take a four-point lead, 26-22, on a jumper by Anthony Smith (Fr., G, Plano, Texas) with 5:17 left to play before the break.

However, the Eagles countered back with a 7-0 run to take a three-point lead, 29-26, on a fast-break lay-up by Martin after a James Shuler steal at the 2:05 mark. Liberty was able to trim the lead back to as close as one point, but a three-pointer by Craig Bradshaw with 34 seconds left in the opening period allowed Winthrop to take a five-point edge, 36-31, into the locker room.

The Eagles continued to maintain their five-point edge over the first five minutes of the second half as an old fashion three-point play by Martin gave Winthrop a 46-41 lead with 15:00 left to play. But the Flames put together a 12-3 run over the next four-plus minutes of play, taking a four-point lead, 53-49, on a fast-break lay-up by Blair after a Smith steal with 10:21 left.

Five minutes later, Bradshaw sank a pair of free throws as Winthrop answered back with a 12-4 run, taking a four-point lead, 61-57, at the 5:31 mark. But the Flames countered once again as Liberty held Winthrop without a field goal over the next four minutes and outscored the visitors, 14-2, over the span to take a 71-63 lead after a pair of Evan Risher (So., G, Fort Worth, Texas) free throws at the 1:28 mark.

Winthrop didn’t go down without a fight as Martin sank back-to-back three-pointers over a 25-second span to pull the Eagles within two points, 71-69, with 53 ticks left on the clock. But Blair wasn’t going to let the victory slip away as the junior drove the lane on the ensuing possession, making the basket and drew the foul.

He made the free throw to put Liberty back up by five with 45 seconds left, while 22 seconds later, Blair blocked a shot by Chris Gaynor which would have pulled the Eagles within three points, but rather the deflection sealed the win for the Flames.

Blair posted his fifth 30-point game of the year and missed tying a career high by one point as the junior finished with 37 points on 13-of-23 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 from the free throw line. He also added six rebounds, four assists, two steals and the pivotal blocked shot.

Smith followed with 17 points and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line, helping the Flames shoot a season-best 85.7 percent from the free throw line (24-of-28), while Risher chipped in with 11 points and four assists.

Martin paced the way for the Eagles with 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the field, including 5-of-9 from three-point range, while leading the team with eight rebounds. Bradshow followed with 18 points and five rebounds.

The Flames will conclude their regular-season home schedule when they host Coastal Carolina in the Vines Center on Thursday for a 7 p.m. game, while Winthrop returns to Winthrop Coliseum on Thursday for a 7 p.m. game against High Point.

[PAmedic]

LB gets MBB-POTW for that one- print it.

And it looks like Anthony Smith really stepped up too, from everything I've read. That kid has GROWN this year.

[BJWilliams]

LB gets MBB-POTW for that one- print it.

And it looks like Anthony Smith really stepped up too, from everything I've read. That kid has GROWN this year.

If he doesn't there is a definite anti-Liberty/anti-jerry Falwell bias in the Big South

[PAmedic]

wouldn't it be great to see Larry as POTW and Smith as Frosh OTW?

[thesportscritic]

LB gets MBB-POTW for that one- print it.

And it looks like Anthony Smith really stepped up too, from everything I've read. That kid has GROWN this year.

If he doesn't there is a definite anti-Liberty/anti-jerry Falwell bias in the Big South

Like the Big South isnt already.

[SuperJon]

I can see Larry winning player of the year but I don't know about the FOTY. I just don't see an 8th place team getting the two individual awards of the season.

[PAmedic]

WEEK, not year- lets not be greedy!

and if anyone is interested in some light reading, flip over to the Winthrop board: MBB forum. YIKES. brings back memories of our MBB forum - oh, say - YESTERDAY.

[SuperJon]

My fault, I can't read.

[PAmedic]

no prob- only one semester on the mountain- we gotta get that CCU "education" outta ya!

(that should get me in some trouble over on their board!)

[Hold My Own]

PS: you know its a good night when SLY's post count jumps by 60+

1st things first, yes the players were all prayed up and even Dr. Towns came in to give a message and he's written a lot of books....dont believe me ask him

2nd only you would notice that someones posts went up by 60...I think it's b/c of your Post Ticker on your computer


also, Scar or someone else can yall remember back to when we beat UVA and what their RPI was? It was a down year that ended up costing Jones his job (some say b/c of the loss to LU) so since it was such a bad year for them I would think that their RPI wouldnt have been in the top 100 or right around it...I would think that WU's RPI is better then when we beat UVA....not to mention the fact of how high their RPI was just about a few months ago

I know this is a top 10 win for our program I wont put it above any of our championships but it's right behind our UVA win simply because it puts us in to the playoffs the hardest way we could have done it...I give it win #6

getting a Top 10 win isnt a bad thing for a program on the rebuild....we all have said this is not a very strong team talent wise and yet we can pull off a victory against a team who's RPI was at 30 one point during the season, You gotta give some credit to Coach D and his staff, and the team that we all put into question....and again yes WU was healthy

[WinthropEagleFan]

Virginia finished that year ranked 91st in the RPI.

[PAmedic]

2nd only you would notice that someones posts went up by 60...I think it's b/c of your Post Ticker on your computer

lucky guess, thats all

[Hold My Own]

PS: you know its a good night when SLY's post count jumps by 60+

1st things first, yes the players were all prayed up and even Dr. Towns came in to give a message and he's written a lot of books....dont believe me ask him

2nd only you would notice that someones posts went up by 60...I think it's b/c of your Post Ticker on your computer


also, Scar or someone else can yall remember back to when we beat UVA and what their RPI was? It was a down year that ended up costing Jones his job (some say b/c of the loss to LU) so since it was such a bad year for them I would think that their RPI wouldnt have been in the top 100 or right around it...I would think that WU's RPI is better then when we beat UVA....not to mention the fact of how high their RPI was just about a few months ago

I know this is a top 10 win for our program I wont put it above any of our championships but it's right behind our UVA win simply because it puts us in to the playoffs the hardest way we could have done it...I give it win #6

getting a Top 10 win isnt a bad thing for a program on the rebuild....we all have said this is not a very strong team talent wise and yet we can pull off a victory against a team who's RPI was at 30 one point during the season, You gotta give some credit to Coach D and his staff, and the team that we all put into question....and again yes WU was healthy

thanks WU I figured it to be right around there....so yalls RPI was better...so that seals it up for me, it's a bigger win then UVA b/c it puts us in the playoffs not to mention the rivalry we have with WU

[TDDance234]

Winthrop was in the mid70's before tonight.. just a couple slots behind.. yep, you guessed it, UVA.

[Hold My Own]

yeh but I was talkin about UVA when we beat them a few years back...and WUF said they were 91 when we beat them...so again a bigger win for the program...in conference, big rival, puts us in the playoffs (only to play a really ticked off WU team)

[NCAAHOOPS]

BOTTOM LINE... there is no need for any talk other than the facts... they got it done tonight and WU didn't!!! Coach D deserves all the praise in the world, to pull that win out tonight with the team he has right now.. I'm highly impressed!!


I've converted to a FLAME tonight.... thats whats up baby!

[PAmedic]

Congrats! welcome aboard and we're glad to have ya

[Hold My Own]

That's what I like to hear baby!!! we're converting them left and right....all haters come this way and be healed Joel Olstein style!!!

[bigsmooth]

IMHO, beating a team from the ACC is better than beating the top team in our conference at this point. so one of LU's greatest wins???? i doubt it. it was a good win for the guys, and hopefully it will propel us to more success the last two games. lets just leave it as a good win for a struggling team...a win that we really needed to get us in the tournament.