Flames Light Up Knights 124-50

LYNCHBURG, Va. - Liberty built an early 17-0 lead and scored a program Division I-record 124 points in a 124-50 win over St. Andrews, Tuesday at Liberty Arena.

The Flames improve to 11-1 on the season with their eighth win in a row. The Flames are also now 5-0 at home. St. Andrews played this game as an exhibition, so its record remains at 1-7.

Liberty connected on its first eight field goals during an opening 20-3 burst. The Flames led 59-20 at halftime before outscoring the Knights 65-30 in the closing 20 minutes.

Making his second start of the season and first since Nov. 12, Taelon Peter scored a career-high 30 points to lead six Flames in double figures in scoring. Curtis Blair III posted his first career double-double, with career highs in both points (19) and rebounds (12). Brett Decker Jr. registered 17 points, while Jayvon Maughmer totaled a season-high 15 points. Kaden Metheny hit four triples with 14 points, while Colin Porter recorded 11 points and a career-high nine assists.

Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Taelon Peter 30 points, 12-17 FG, 3-5 3FG; Curtis Blair III 19 points, 7-11 FG, 2-3 3FG, 12 rebounds; Brett Decker Jr. 17 points, 6-10 FG, 3-7 3FG, 4 assists; Jayvon Maughmer 15 points, 7-13 FG, 8 rebounds; Kaden Metheny 14 points, 5-9 FG, 4-8 3FG; Colin Porter 11 points, 9 assists

St. Andrews Individuals: Jaylin McDuffie 15 points, 5-10 FG, 5-10 3FG; Escamilla Mateu 8 points, 3-17 FG, 2-10 3FG; Manas Drummond 8 points, 3-8 FG, 12 3FG

Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 62.3 percent (48-of-77) from the field, including 46.2 percent (18-of-39) from distance. The Flames hit 83.3 percent (10-of-12) of their foul shots. The hosts set team season highs in points (124), field goals (48), three-point field goals (18), rebounds (58), assists (29) and steals (15). The Knights shot 28.4 percent (19-of-67) on field goals, including 29 percent (10-of-34) from three-point range, while hitting 2-of-4 from the charity stripe. The Flames dominated in rebounds (58-21) and assists (29-9).

Liberty held wide margins in points off turnovers (31-7), points in the paint (60-16), second chance points (17-3), fast-break points (36-6) and bench points (50), setting season highs in each specialty stat except for bench points.

Key Stats & Notes

Liberty's current eight-game winning streak is its longest since winning 12 in a row, Jan. 16 through March 7, 2021.
The Flames have scored 80 or more points in each of the last four games. That is Liberty's longest stretch of 80-point game since tallying 80 points or more in five consecutive contests, Feb. 17 through Feb. 28, 1997.
Liberty's 124 points scored are the most in its NCAA Division I era, eclipsing the previous record of 122 against VMI on Jan. 27, 2007. The only higher-scoring game for Liberty was a 135-point outburst versus Detroit Bible, Feb. 16, 1973.
Liberty's 48 field goals were also a program NCAA Division I record and most since hitting 51 field goals against Taylor on Dec. 2, 1978.
The Flames' 18 three-pointers were their most since nailing 20 triples against Mid-Atlantic Christian, Dec. 21, 2022.
Liberty's 29 assists were its most since dishing out 34 assists in last year's meeting with St. Andrews.
Liberty's 74-point margin of victory was its largest since beating Detroit Bible by a program-record 92 points (135-43) on Feb. 16, 1973.
Liberty's 11-1 start through 12 games is its best start since opening the 2019-20 season by winning 14 games in a row.
Liberty has not trailed at halftime in any of its 12 games this season, leading at halftime nine times and being tied after 20 minutes three times.
Liberty improves to 2-0 all-time against St. Andrews. Their last meeting ended in a 99-26 Flames victory, Dec. 16, 2023 at Liberty Arena.
Peter came into tonight's game with a season high of 13 points before exploding for a season-high 30 points. It was three off his career high of 33, set during his time at Arkansas Tech. He is the first Flame with a 30-point game since Kyle Rode (31) versus Western Kentucky on March 9, 2024.
The Flames put six players in double figures in scoring for the first time since Nov. 22, 2024.
Peter is one of five Flames with at least one 20-point outing this season, joining Kaden Metheny (twice), Zach Cleveland, Isaiah Ihnen and Owen Aquino.
Porter tied his career high with nine assists, the most by a Flame since Zach Cleveland's nine helpers on Dec. 13, 2023 against Tennessee State.

Up Next
Liberty continues its seven-game homestand, welcoming 2024 WAC finalist UT Arlington (5-6) to Liberty Arena on Saturday. Game time in set for 2 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.

This will be the first meeting between the Flames and Mavericks. However, current Liberty Head Coach Ritchie McKay posted a 2-0 record against UT Arlington as head coach at New Mexico. His Lobos defeated the Mavericks during both the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.

Schedule

Next Event

Team Stats

Taelon Peter

Curtis Blair III

Brett Decker Jr.

Jayvon Maughmer

Players Mentioned

Owen Aquino

Curtis Blair III

Zach Cleveland

Brett Decker Jr.

Isaiah Ihnen

Jayvon Maughmer

Kaden Metheny

Taelon Peter

Colin Porter

Kyle Rode