LYNCHBURG, Va. -- John Caleb Sanders came off the bench to score 14 points as Liberty won its first game of the season, beating Southern Virginia 76-51 Tuesday.

Liberty's starters opened the game making just 1 of 7 shots. After a mass substitution, the Flames made four of their next five shots to take a 16-12 lead behind a Chad Donley 3-pointer.

Southern Virginia (4-2) closed the gap to 18-17 but Donley hit another trey, sparking an 18-8 run over the final 8 minutes of the half.

Liberty (1-8) shot 13 of 26, compared to just 10 of 29 for Southern Virginia, and got 22 bench points in the first half.

Sanders' two free throws at the 5:36 mark of the second half put Liberty up 64-46.

Liberty shot a season-high 57.4 percent (27 of 47) from the field, including 7 of 14 from deep.

Isaac Jacobson led Southern Virginia with 16 points.