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Saturday, November 9
Seattle, Wash.
8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT
Liberty University
2-0,0-0CUSA
66
at
64
Seattle U
0-2,0-0WAC
1
2
F
Liberty
27
39
66
Seattle U
27
37
64
Metheny Drills Game Winner to Give Liberty Dramatic 66-64 Win at Seattle U
11/9/2024 11:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SEATTLE, Wash. – Liberty redshirt senior Kaden Metheny drilled the game-winning three-pointer with 3.7 seconds remaining, lifting the Flames to a dramatic 66-64 comeback win at Seattle U on Saturday night at the Redhawk Center.
Metheny's game winner capped off a late come-from-behind victory for Liberty. The Flames trailed by six points, 64-58, with 1:57 to go before closing on an 8-0 run to pull out the victory.
The Flames stay unbeaten on the young season, improving to 2-0. The Redhawks slip to 0-2 with the narrow setback.
Metheny scored 12 of his team-high 15 points in the second half. Owen Aquino finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Javyon Maughmer, making his first start in a Liberty uniform, scored 12 points.
Liberty Individuals: Kaden Metheny 15 points, 5-8 3FG, Owen Aquino 13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals; Javyon Maughmer 12 points, 5-6 FG; Colin Porter 10 points, 5 assists; Zach Cleveland 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
Seattle U Individuals: John Christofilis 16 points, 4-7 3FG; Mathew-Alexander Moncrieffe 12 points, 4-5 FG, 2 steals
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 48 percent (24-of-50) from the field on the night and connected on 8-of-22 three-pointers 36.4 percent. Seattle U shot 52.2 percent (24-of-46) from the floor and 35.7 percent (5-of-14) from the three-point land. Both teams struggled with turnovers and from the foul line. Liberty turned it over 15 times, and Seattle U committed 12 turnovers. The Flames were 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) from the free throw line, and the Redhawks were under 50 percent (11-of-24, 45.8 percent) on the evening.
Turning Point
Liberty trailed 62-56 with 2:42 left in the game before closing on a 10-2 run to win the game. The two teams traded baskets, and the Redhawks led 64-58 with 1:57 to go. Colin Porter committed a turnover on the next possession, but the junior guard stole the ball back and laid it in at the 1:38 mark to cut the deficit to four.
After the Redhawks' Maleek Arrington missed the front end of a one-and-one, Liberty cut the Seattle U lead to one with a Kaden Metheny three with 1:03 to go. The Flames' defense denied the Redhawks on two chances on the next trip down the court. Colin Porter drove in the lane in the final 10 seconds and found Metheny on the right wing. Metheny drilled the three-pointer with 3.7 seconds to go for a 66-64 Liberty lead.
Following a Seattle timeout, the Flames' Owen Aquino stole the ensuing inbounds pass and ran out the final ticks to preserve the victory.
Key Stats & Notes
The Flames will play their home opener on Tuesday evening at Liberty Arena, taking on Carolina University. Tip time is 7 p.m. The contest can also be seen on ESPN+.
Metheny's game winner capped off a late come-from-behind victory for Liberty. The Flames trailed by six points, 64-58, with 1:57 to go before closing on an 8-0 run to pull out the victory.
The Flames stay unbeaten on the young season, improving to 2-0. The Redhawks slip to 0-2 with the narrow setback.
Metheny scored 12 of his team-high 15 points in the second half. Owen Aquino finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Javyon Maughmer, making his first start in a Liberty uniform, scored 12 points.
KADEN COMES IN CLUTCH ?? pic.twitter.com/7ByS8dMfe9
— Liberty Men's Basketball (@LibertyMBB) November 10, 2024
Liberty Individuals: Kaden Metheny 15 points, 5-8 3FG, Owen Aquino 13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals; Javyon Maughmer 12 points, 5-6 FG; Colin Porter 10 points, 5 assists; Zach Cleveland 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
Seattle U Individuals: John Christofilis 16 points, 4-7 3FG; Mathew-Alexander Moncrieffe 12 points, 4-5 FG, 2 steals
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 48 percent (24-of-50) from the field on the night and connected on 8-of-22 three-pointers 36.4 percent. Seattle U shot 52.2 percent (24-of-46) from the floor and 35.7 percent (5-of-14) from the three-point land. Both teams struggled with turnovers and from the foul line. Liberty turned it over 15 times, and Seattle U committed 12 turnovers. The Flames were 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) from the free throw line, and the Redhawks were under 50 percent (11-of-24, 45.8 percent) on the evening.
Turning Point
Liberty trailed 62-56 with 2:42 left in the game before closing on a 10-2 run to win the game. The two teams traded baskets, and the Redhawks led 64-58 with 1:57 to go. Colin Porter committed a turnover on the next possession, but the junior guard stole the ball back and laid it in at the 1:38 mark to cut the deficit to four.
After the Redhawks' Maleek Arrington missed the front end of a one-and-one, Liberty cut the Seattle U lead to one with a Kaden Metheny three with 1:03 to go. The Flames' defense denied the Redhawks on two chances on the next trip down the court. Colin Porter drove in the lane in the final 10 seconds and found Metheny on the right wing. Metheny drilled the three-pointer with 3.7 seconds to go for a 66-64 Liberty lead.
Following a Seattle timeout, the Flames' Owen Aquino stole the ensuing inbounds pass and ran out the final ticks to preserve the victory.
Key Stats & Notes
- Saturday night's game featured 18 lead changes and 11 ties.
- Kaden Metheny's three-pointer from the right wing right by the Liberty bench was reminiscent of last season's game-winning three at home against Louisiana Tech (Feb. 10, 2024) at Liberty Arena. In that contest, the guard drilled the game winner with 2.1 seconds left from the right wing, right in front of the Flames bench, to give Liberty a 65-62 CUSA win.
- Metheny is averaging a team-best 15.5 ppg so far. The guard is 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) from three-point territory.
- Through two games, Owen Aquino is averaging 13.5 ppg and 10.0 rpg.
- Jayvon Maughmer, making his first start as a Flame, scored all 12 of his points in the first half. The redshirt senior guard was 5-of-6 on the night in 32:02 of action.
- Colin Porter led all players with five assists in the game. The junior guard added 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
- This was the first-ever meeting between Liberty (CUSA) and Seattle U (WAC). Last year, the Flames faced WAC opponents Grand Canyon and Utah Valley. The Flames will host WAC opponent UT Arlington, Dec. 21 at Liberty Arena.
- Entering the game, the Redhawks were 43-8 at home over the last three seasons (2021-22 through 2023-24 seasons).
The Flames will play their home opener on Tuesday evening at Liberty Arena, taking on Carolina University. Tip time is 7 p.m. The contest can also be seen on ESPN+.
Team Stats
Lib
SU
FG%
.480
.522
3FG%
.364
.357
FT%
.526
.458
RB
26
29
TO
15
12
STL
7
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
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