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Wednesday, December 20
Orem, Utah
8:00 PM ET/6:00 PM MT
Liberty University
10-3,0-0CUSA
79
at
63
Utah Valley
6-6,1-1WAC
1
2
F
Liberty
46
33
79
Utah Valley
34
29
63
Flames Shoot Over 60 Percent in 79-63 Road Win at Utah Valley
12/20/2023 11:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
OREM, Utah. – The Liberty Flames shot 60.7 percent from the field in a 79-63 road win at Utah Valley, Wednesday evening at the UCCU Center.
Liberty was a blistering 84 percent (21-of-25) from the floor in the first half, taking a 46-34 lead at the break on the way to the victory. The Flames earn their first true road win of the 2023-24 season and improve to 10-3 in what was their final game before Christmas.
Liberty snaps Utah Valley's 11-game home winning streak. The Wolverines drop to 6-6 on the year and have lost back-to-back games. Tonight's setback is Utah Valley's first at home since Jan. 14, an 85-80 setback to Seattle at the UCCU Center.
Liberty was 34-of-56 (60.7 percent) from the field for its second-best shooting performance of the season, behind only a 65 percent effort against Maryland Eastern Shore, Nov. 25 at Liberty Arena. The Flames have won three games in a row overall.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Zach Cleveland 19 points, 9-12 FG, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks; Kyle Rode 15 points, 7-9 FG, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks; Kaden Metheny 13 points, 5-10 FG, 3-6 3FG; Joseph Venzant 11 points, 5-5 FG, 8 rebounds, 2 steals
Utah Valley Individuals: Chris Grady 16 points, 7-9 FG, 6 rebounds; Trevin Dorius 15 points, 8 rebounds
Key Team Stats: Liberty had 40 points in the paint, tied for its second best effort in that category this season. The Flames tallied 22 assists on 34 made baskets, with Zach Cleveland leading the way with a game-high nine assists. Liberty led for 37:37 of the 40 minutes, while Utah Valley only held the lead for 52 seconds. Utah Valley held a 36-27 edge in rebounding , a 17-2 advantage in second chance points and a 16-8 edge in fast break points. Liberty's biggest lead was 25 points, 75-50, with 4:02 to play. The Flames were also 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from three-point range tonight.
Thoughts From Head Coach Ritchie McKay
"I thought our group really prepared well for this assignment. I have a ton of respect for how good Utah Valley is. They're really well-coached. Coach Phillips has done a terrific job with 11 newcomers. The unity they play with is very evident in your preparation for them. I thought this was a really good win because this is a tough venue. They play with a lot of confidence at home. They have a really good interior presence and a really good plan. I think we built a little confidence early by scoring the ball and trying to taking advantage of what the defense was giving us. It was a good effort going into Christmas break, and I think our guys earned one."
Turning Point
The Flames missed only four shots in the entire first half, going 21-of-25 (84 percent) in the opening 20 minutes. Zach Cleveland was instrumental in the first half success, scoring 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting while also grabbing five rebounds, dishing out five assists and blocking three shots. Cleveland's hook shot with 1:05 left in the first half sent Liberty into the locker room with a 46-34 edge. Cleveland and the Flames outscored Utah Valley 28-18 in the paint in the first frame.
Liberty used a 10-0 run early in the second half to build a 56-35 lead with 15:28 remaining. The Flames took their biggest lead of 75-50 with 4:02 to play on a Joseph Venzant (11 points, eight rebounds) steal and fast break dunk.
Key Stats & Notes
Up Next
Liberty's first game after Christmas will be against the Alabama Crimson Tide (6-4) at the C.M. Newton Classic, Dec. 29. The game will be played at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala. Tip time is 2 p.m. Eastern.
This will be the second straight year the two faces will square off. Last year (Nov. 11, 2022), Liberty faced Alabama in a road game. This will be the third all-time meeting between the two programs. The squads also met on Dec. 18, 2018 at the Rocket City Classic in Huntsville, Ala. Alabama owns a 2-0 edge in the all-time series with Liberty.
Liberty was a blistering 84 percent (21-of-25) from the floor in the first half, taking a 46-34 lead at the break on the way to the victory. The Flames earn their first true road win of the 2023-24 season and improve to 10-3 in what was their final game before Christmas.
Liberty snaps Utah Valley's 11-game home winning streak. The Wolverines drop to 6-6 on the year and have lost back-to-back games. Tonight's setback is Utah Valley's first at home since Jan. 14, an 85-80 setback to Seattle at the UCCU Center.
Liberty was 34-of-56 (60.7 percent) from the field for its second-best shooting performance of the season, behind only a 65 percent effort against Maryland Eastern Shore, Nov. 25 at Liberty Arena. The Flames have won three games in a row overall.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Zach Cleveland 19 points, 9-12 FG, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks; Kyle Rode 15 points, 7-9 FG, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks; Kaden Metheny 13 points, 5-10 FG, 3-6 3FG; Joseph Venzant 11 points, 5-5 FG, 8 rebounds, 2 steals
Utah Valley Individuals: Chris Grady 16 points, 7-9 FG, 6 rebounds; Trevin Dorius 15 points, 8 rebounds
Key Team Stats: Liberty had 40 points in the paint, tied for its second best effort in that category this season. The Flames tallied 22 assists on 34 made baskets, with Zach Cleveland leading the way with a game-high nine assists. Liberty led for 37:37 of the 40 minutes, while Utah Valley only held the lead for 52 seconds. Utah Valley held a 36-27 edge in rebounding , a 17-2 advantage in second chance points and a 16-8 edge in fast break points. Liberty's biggest lead was 25 points, 75-50, with 4:02 to play. The Flames were also 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from three-point range tonight.
Thoughts From Head Coach Ritchie McKay
"I thought our group really prepared well for this assignment. I have a ton of respect for how good Utah Valley is. They're really well-coached. Coach Phillips has done a terrific job with 11 newcomers. The unity they play with is very evident in your preparation for them. I thought this was a really good win because this is a tough venue. They play with a lot of confidence at home. They have a really good interior presence and a really good plan. I think we built a little confidence early by scoring the ball and trying to taking advantage of what the defense was giving us. It was a good effort going into Christmas break, and I think our guys earned one."
Turning Point
The Flames missed only four shots in the entire first half, going 21-of-25 (84 percent) in the opening 20 minutes. Zach Cleveland was instrumental in the first half success, scoring 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting while also grabbing five rebounds, dishing out five assists and blocking three shots. Cleveland's hook shot with 1:05 left in the first half sent Liberty into the locker room with a 46-34 edge. Cleveland and the Flames outscored Utah Valley 28-18 in the paint in the first frame.
Liberty used a 10-0 run early in the second half to build a 56-35 lead with 15:28 remaining. The Flames took their biggest lead of 75-50 with 4:02 to play on a Joseph Venzant (11 points, eight rebounds) steal and fast break dunk.
Key Stats & Notes
- Zach Cleveland scored 19 points, two shy of matching a career high. He also matched a career high with three blocks and added eight assists and seven rebounds. Cleveland was a game-best +25 in 32:34 of action.
- Cleveland is averaging 12.0 ppg, 7.3 apg and 7.0 rpg over the last three games.
- Kyle Rode filled the stat sheet as well with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks (tied for career high) and one steal. The fifth-year senior forward was a +23 in 30:16 of action.
- All 10 Flames victories this season have come by double figures.
- Liberty's first true road win of the season comes in its second road contest. The Flames are 1-1 on the road, 4-1 at a neutral site and 5-1 at home.
- The Flames have shot over 50 percent from the floor seven times this season and are 7-0 in those games.
- Liberty is the second Conference USA team to 10 wins this year. Western Kentucky (10-3) won its 10th game last night.
- Tonight's matchup was the first-ever meeting between Liberty and Utah Valley in men's basketball.
Up Next
Liberty's first game after Christmas will be against the Alabama Crimson Tide (6-4) at the C.M. Newton Classic, Dec. 29. The game will be played at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala. Tip time is 2 p.m. Eastern.
This will be the second straight year the two faces will square off. Last year (Nov. 11, 2022), Liberty faced Alabama in a road game. This will be the third all-time meeting between the two programs. The squads also met on Dec. 18, 2018 at the Rocket City Classic in Huntsville, Ala. Alabama owns a 2-0 edge in the all-time series with Liberty.
Team Stats
Lib
UVU
FG%
.607
.387
3FG%
.421
.125
FT%
.600
.813
RB
27
36
TO
10
13
STL
6
8
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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