Larry Blair poured in 29 points, including seven three-point baskets, to help Liberty claim the Big South Tournament title and the Conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament with an 89-44 win over High Point Saturday afternoon in front of a national-television audience from the Vines Center.

The Panthers saw their five-game win streak snapped and fell to 19-11.

High Point's Danny Gathings was named the Big South Tournament Most Valuable Player to go along with his regular-season Player of the Year honor. Gathings was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammate Zione White as well as Blair and Gabe Martin of Liberty and UNC Asheville's K.J. Garland.

The Panthers, who reached the Big South title game for the second time in three years, shot 25.4 percent from the field and just 1-of-14 from three-point range.

Martin (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Jason Sarchet (14 points, 14 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles for the victorious Flames (18-14).

HPU made just one of its first 15 attempts from the field and trailed 12-4 following a Gathings tip-in at the 14:57 mark of the first half. Following two missed three-pointers on the other end, Landon Quick scored on a layup to get High Point within six points at 12-6.

Liberty surged back in control and pushed the lead into double-digits for good on Sarchet's layup which made it 17-6. Led by Martin's 13 first-half points, the Flames took a 40-22 lead to the locker room.

Any chance the Panthers had of a quick second-half start evaporated when the hot hand of Blair caught fire. Blair, the Big South's Freshman of the Year, scored eight points in a span of 1:41 early in the second half to put the Flames up 52-22. He connected on seven-of-11 three-point shots for his 29-point total, and Liberty celebrated its first Big South title since 1994.

Jerry Echenique (nine points) was High Point's leading scorer. Gathings and Quick added seven points apiece for the Panthers, who turned the ball over 21 times.

"I'm very disappointed, but our guys have nothing to be ashamed of," High Point head coach Bart Lundy said. "We've had a great year."

The Panthers did set plenty of records in 2003-04, Lundy's first season at HPU. High Point won 19 games, shattering the old school mark for victories since joining the NCAA Division I ranks (11). High Point also won eight road games and 10 Big South Conference games for the first time in the Division I era (up from two and five, respectively, and is the nation's second-most improved team (12 more wins than last season).