Big first half carries Fort Wayne to 75-64 win over Liberty

Dec 21, 2017, 03:39 pm

NEW ORLEANS -- Kason Harrell scored 17 points, Bryson Scott added 15 and Fort Wayne led wire-to-wire in a 75-64 win over Liberty at the New Orleans Shootout on Thursday.

Jax Levitch added 14 points and Matt Weir 10 for the Mastodons (9-5), who face Alabama State or Louisiana Tech for the title on Friday. Levitch had four 3-pointers and Harrell 3 as Fort Wayne went 11 of 27 behind the arc. Scott was 11 of 12 from the foul line, where the Mastodons were 20 of 25.

Lovell Cabbil, Ryan Kemrite and Scottie James had 15 points apiece and Caleb Homesley 14 for the Flames (8-5), who had nine 3s and went 11 of 12 at the line.

The teams combined for 53 rebounds, just three on the offensive end, and 35 turnovers but Fort Wayne netted 24 points off miscues to 10 for the Flames.

Fort Wayne made 13 of 23 shots in the first half, with six 3s and 15 points from the foul line, to race to a 47-27 lead at the break. The Flames cut it to 3 on a Kemrite trey with 6:51 to go but the Mastodons answered with 3s from Harrell and Weir. Weir hit a 3 with 4:42 to go that made it 66-54 and the lead stayed in double figures.