LYNCHBURG, Va. - Liberty's Jesse Sanders posted a triple-double in leading the Flames to a 68-54 win over Charleston Southern Thursday, Jan. 6 at the Vines Center. CSU countered with a double-double by Johathan Brooks, but the Bucs were unable to overcome a 10-point halftime deficit.

CSU is now 8-8 on the season, with an even 2-2 mark in Big South play, while Liberty improves its record to 11-6, including an unblemished 5-0 in conference games.

For the game, the Buccaneers shot 45.1 percent from the field, compared with 43.3 by Liberty. However, LU scored 32 points off of 20 CSU turnovers and attempted 11 more field goals than the Bucs. The Flames held a slight 34-32 edge on the boards, including 17-12 on the offensive glass.

Brooks posted his second double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and pulling down a career-high 14 rebounds. Jeremy Sexton continued his strong play, leading all scorers with 17 points while hitting three three-pointers.

Sanders scored 10 points and added as many rebounds and assists for the triple-double, while John Brown posted 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Flames.

The Flames jumped out to an early 9-0 lead, with four starters scoring one basket each. CSU scored its first points on a three-pointer by Sexton with 16:41 to go in the first half. His triple sparked a 9-2 run, and he capped the rally with a breakaway layup to tie the game at 11-11 with 10:52 remaining. Jamarco Warren drained a three and Kelvin Martin added a layup during the surge.

Sanders and Brooks traded baskets twice, and the game remained tied at 15-15 until the seven minute mark. Sexton nailed a triple to put CSU in the lead, 20-19, with 4:22 left. Evan Gordon responded with a three-pointer of his own to regain the lead for Liberty.

Liberty pulled away with a 13-2 rally over the final four minutes of the first half. Trailing 24-20, Troy Pierce scored a basket to draw the Bucs to within two points. Gordon and Anderson then hit three-point goals as part of a closing 8-0 surge to provide the 32-22 halftime lead.

CSU shot 36 percent (9-for-25) from the field over the first 20 minutes of play, while LU shot 45.2 percent. The Flames hit four three-pointers to three for the visitors. Gordon led all scorers during the first half with nine points, hitting three three-pointers. Sexton paced CSU with eight first-half points. Brooks pulled down 10 rebounds in the first half.

The Flames pushed their lead out to 16 by scoring the first six points of the second half. Kenny Mitchell halted LU's 14-0 run with a layup, making it 38-24 with 17:19 remaining. The Liberty advantage quickly elevated into the 20's, peaking at 25, 55-30, midway through the final 20 minutes. CSU whittled the deficit to 13 in the final minute with a 22-10 rally, but fell by a score of 68-54

The Buccaneers conclude their trip through Virginia on Saturday, Jan. 8, as they take on VMI at Cameron Hall in Lexington, Va. Game time is set for 1 p.m. Liberty plays host to Coastal Carolina Saturday at the Vines Center. The Chanticleers carry an 11-game winning streak into Saturday's action.