BOILING SPRINGS --- Liberty connected on 55 percent of its attempts from the floor in the first half, and held Gardner-Webb to under 32 percent in the final 20 minutes en route to a 69-55 road victory in Big South Conference play on Wednesday evening.

With the result, Liberty (8-15, 5-5 Big South) moves into a tie for sixth with Gardner-Webb (10-12, 5-5 Big South) in the league standings as the Runnin' Bulldogs skid hits four games.

Liberty shot 50.9 percent from the floor on the night, including a 54.5 percent clip in the first half, while holding Gardner-Webb to a field goal percentage of 37.5 percent. The Flames won the battle on the glass by a 36-26 margin and hit 8-of-19 from downtown. Gardner-Webb knocked down 7-of-23 (30.4 percent) from three-point range and converted 12-of-25 (48 percent) at the free throw line.

Harold McBride (Bronx, N.Y.) poured in a game-high 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting for the Runnin' Bulldogs, knocking down 4-of-7 from long range to go along with five assists and three steals. Jamaal Robateau (Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia) added a season-high 13 points with a 4-for-5 night from the floor – including a 3-for-4 clip from downtown.

John Dawson paced four Flames in double figures with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting, as Ryan Kemrite added a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Evan Maxwell and Caleb Homesley each chipped in 10 points while Lovell Cabbil dished out a game-high six assists.

Liberty led for 38:59 of a possible 40 minutes on the night, opening an early 11-2 lead on a Dawson jumper before a Robateau trey and a Rideau lay-in cut the advantage to 11-7 at the 13:22 mark. After the Flames stretched the margin back to 11 on a Kemrite tip-in, Gardner-Webb answered with a 10-0 run to pull within one – 22-21 – on a nifty layup from McBride with 5:32 left in the first half.

McBride knocked down a trey moments later, giving Gardner-Webb its first lead of the night at 24-22 at the 4:35 mark. Liberty would answer with an 11-4 run over the final four minutes of the period, taking a 33-28 advantage into the intermission after McBride hit a tough jumper with 10 ticks left.

The Flames carried the momentum into the second half with a 10-1 spurt, opening a 43-29 lead on a Kemrite trey with 15:52 to play. Liberty would keep the Runnin' Bulldogs at arm's length for the remainder of the night, never letting Gardner-Webb cut the lead to less than five points for the balance of the period.

Gardner-Webb continues its Big South schedule on Saturday when the Runnin' Bulldogs travel to Charleston, S.C. to take on Charleston Southern at 5:30 pm on the Big South Network.