ASUN Notebook: Tiny but mighty Darius McGhee lighting it up for Liberty in early ASUN games

Liberty senior guard Darius McGhee was the ASUN player of the year last season when he averaged 15.5 points per game.

After Tuesday's 27-point performance against Jacksonville University, which bumped his season average to 23.0 (first in the ASUN, fourth in the nation), the guys at the shop where the ASUN orders its trophies and plaques can start etching in his name again.

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McGhee hit 7 of 11 shots from the floor and connected 6 of 9 times from beyond the 3-point arc in the 88-49 victory that marked the first time this season the Dolphins have given up more than 69 points in one game.

McGhee has scored more than 40 points twice this season (48 vs. Florida Gulf Coast and 41 against Stanford) and in four ASUN games so far, he's averaging 27.2 points and shooting .571 from the floor and .515 from beyond the 3-point line.

And he's still 5-feet-9, which makes him the most explosive player in college basketball, inch-for-inch.

The Flames shot 61 percent for the game after missing their first seven field-goal attempts and overcame a 16-5 JU lead with a 19-6 run.

Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said the game against the No. 1 scoring defense in the nation (the Dolphins fell to third behind Texas and Fresno) was indicative more of what his team did well than any breakdowns on the part of JU.

“I love the way our guys shared the ball tonight ... when you shoot it like that, it makes the game a lot easier," he said. "We have a ton of respect for Jacksonville because we know how stout their defense has been. The score is not indicative of an opponent they are, and they are going to be a factor in this league.”

McGhee is being asked by McKay to take on more of the scoring load with the loss of shooters such as Chris Parker (10.3 points per game last season) and Elijah Cuffee (9.9) from last year’s ASUN championship team that went on to battle Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCAA tournament before losing 60-60.

JU adds lacrosse transfers

Jacksonville University lacrosse coach John Galloway has upgraded his roster three weeks before the opening game of the season with the signing of three transfers, who will be eligible to play immediately.

Two, freshman midfielder Marshall McGuire and sophomore face-off Luke Talago, came from Galloway’s alma mater at Syracuse. The other transfer is sophomore midfield Cam Johnson, who played at UMass.

Galloway harkened to the coach of his favorite NFL team in his motivation for bringing in the players after going 16-19 in the last three seasons since the Dolphins were 8-7 in 2018, the second .500-plus record in school history.

"I am a huge Buffalo Bills fan, and one of the quotes Sean McDermott always relies on when talking about the evaluation of the team is his ability to upgrade at every position," Galloway said on JU’s athletic website. "Our mid-year transfers did just that, elevating us in each position and increasing our depth and competition as we head into the spring. Each young man comes from an established program, which will also help us in our locker room as we continue to strive to be championship caliber in all facets."

McGuire, 6 feet 3 and 210 pounds, was praised by Galloway for his lacrosse IQ and his potential as a good locker-room guy. Talago was a top-20 high school recruit from Allentown, Pa., and Johnson played for Galloway on the U-17 USA Developmental team.

As usual, the Dolphins have a difficult non-conference schedule and open the season on Feb. 5 by playing powerhouse Johns Hopkins. JU also plays at Duke, Denver and Air Force.

Baseball tickets on sale

Baseball season and single-game tickets are on sale at North Florida and Jacksonville.

Both teams open the season with three-game sets at home Feb. 18-20, UNF facing Presbyterian and defending ASUN champion JU taking on High Point. Both then have big single games on Feb. 22 at home against in-state rivals, the Ospreys facing UCF and the Dolphins taking on Florida State.

JU’s other home non-conference games include Georgia Southern, Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman and UCF. UNF’s home non-conference schedule includes the Florida Gators on March 1 (pricing is separate), plus Boston College, UConn, South Florida and Florida A&M.

The first two three-game ASUN sets between the Ospreys and Dolphins will be April 8-10 at UNF's Harmon Stadium. The will clash at JU's Sessions Stadium May 13-15.

Osifo breaks the ice

JU forward Osayi Osifo became the team’s first ASUN weekly award winner when he was named the conference newcomer of the week.

Osifo, a sophomore transfer from Florida, got his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds in a 54-51 victory over the University of North Florida on Jan. 15. Earlier in the week, he had 10 points and eight rebounds in a 57-50 victory over Stetson.

Brock, Elms get more honors

Jacksonville women's lacrosse players Molly Brock and Sarah Elms have followed being named preseason All-ASUN by making honorable mention on Inside Lacrosse magazine’s Women's preseason All-American selections.

It’s the first time either athlete has earned a spot on an Inside Lacrosse All-American team.

Elms was the ASUN player of the year last season, collecting 60 goals and 12 assists, and Brock was the ASUN defensive player of the year, leading the Dolphins to second in the NCAA in draw controls with an average of 22.99 per game.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: ASUN Notebook: Darius McGhee small but mighty for Liberty basketball