Liberty beats Stetson; earns NCAA Tournament berth

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Chris Parker scored 16 points and Liberty beat Stetson 77-64 on Friday in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament semifinals and later earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament when North Alabama reached the title game.

North Alabama, a 96-81 winner over Florida Gulf Coast, is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament because it is in a four-year Division I transition period.

Blake Preston added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Darius McGhee added 13 points and nine assists to help Liberty (22-5) reach a conference championship game for the fourth straight season.

Christiaan Jones had 20 points for the Hatters (11-14). Chase Johnston added 16 points.

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