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Saturday, February 10
Lynchburg, Va.
8:00 PM ET
Liberty University
16-9,5-5CUSA
65
vs
62
Louisiana Tech
16-8,6-3CUSA
1
2
F
Louisiana Tech
29
33
62
Liberty
22
43
65
Metheny Nails Game-Winning 3 With 2.1 Seconds Left, Flames Knock Off LA Tech 65-62
2/10/2024 11:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty's Kaden Metheny nailed the game-winning three-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining, lifting the Flames to a 65-52 victory over Conference USA leader Louisiana Tech on Saturday night.
Metheny scored 12 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, including the deep three-pointer from the right wing to put the Flames ahead by three with just over two seconds remaining. Louisiana Tech's last-ditch effort after a timeout resulted in a turnover at midcourt.
Liberty improves to 16-9 overall and gets back to .500 (5-5) in CUSA games. The Flames are 16-9 on the year and have won three straight league games. Liberty is 10-2 at home this season.
Louisiana Tech, who entered the night in sole possession of first place in the league, drops to 16-8 overall and 6-3 in the conference. The Bulldogs are now tied atop the standings with Sam Houston (6-3 CUSA).
The Flames split the regular season series with the Bulldogs, with the two games being decided by a total of seven points.
Metheny (21 points), Kyle Rode (18 points) and Brody Peebles (16 points) combined for 55 of Liberty's 65 points tonight.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Kaden Metheny 21 points, 8-15 FG, 3-7 3FG, 4 rebounds, 2 steals; Kyle Rode 18 points, 7-12 FG, 4-8 3FG; Brody Peebles 16 points, 6-11 FG, 3 steals; Zach Cleveland 7 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks (matched career high), 3 steals
Louisiana Tech Individuals: Isaiah Crawford 19 points, 9-12 FG, 6 steals, 4 blocks; Daniel Batcho 18 points, 8-14 FG, 9 rebounds; Tahlik Chavez 11 points, 3-7 3FG, 5 rebounds; Sean Newman Jr. 10 points, 4-6 FG, 7 assists
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the night shooting 47.2 percent (25-of-53) and 39.1 percent (9-of-23) from three-point territory. The Flames shot a blistering 65.4 percent (17-of-26) from the field in the second half. Louisiana Tech finished the game at 51.9 percent (27-of-52) and shot 58.3 percent (14-of-24) over the final 20 minutes. LA Tech outrebounded Liberty 31-25. The Bulldogs turned the ball over 19 times, their third highest total of the season. Liberty committed 15 turnovers, matching a season high. The Flames led the game for only 4:28, while the Bulldogs led for 32:01 (game was tied for 3:31).
"Hats off to Louisiana Tech. That is a terrific team. They're a really hard prep because they have some terrific players. Coach (Talvin) Hester has done a phenomenal job, he and his staff. It's a great win because of the caliber of opponent. Secondly, we don't win that game without Flames Nation. They were tremendous and gave us a home-court advantage that we certainly needed tonight. I'm happy with our group and the way they navigated the bumpy road. There's a group of young men in that locker room that keep honoring the process of trying to get better. We're pleased to coach them."
Turning Point
Louisiana Tech led 29-22 at the half and held four separate nine-point leads in the second half, including a 48-39 advantage with 11:40 left. Liberty began its comeback with a 7-0 run, featuring back-to-back layups from Brody Peebles and Kaden Metheny and a three-pointer by Kyle Rode to narrow the gap to 48-46. A pair of baskets from Sean Newman Jr. put LA Tech back on top by six, 52-46, but Liberty answered with a pair of threes from Peebles and Rode on back-to-back possessions from Peebles and Rode to even the score at 52-all at the 5:53 mark.
Metheny gave Liberty the 55-52 lead with 5:03 remaining and scored a bucket on the next possession to put the Flames ahead 57-52 at the 4:33 mark. Kyle Rode's three-pointer as the shot clock expired put the hosts ahead 60-55 with 2:54 left. LA Tech scored the next five points to even it at 60-all.
Brody Peebles put Liberty back ahead with a fadeaway jumper in the paint at with 23.5 seconds on the clock before LA Tech tied it up with a layup with 12 seconds to go.
Key Stats & Notes
Up Next
The Flames' next game will be a week from today at CUSA co-leader Sam Houston (13-11, 6-3 CUSA). Game time is 7:30 p.m. Eastern at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas.
Liberty and Sam Houston squared off on Jan. 20 at Liberty Arena, with the Flames earning an 82-66 victory in what was the first matchup between the squads in CUSA play. The Flames lead the all-time series 2-1.
Metheny scored 12 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, including the deep three-pointer from the right wing to put the Flames ahead by three with just over two seconds remaining. Louisiana Tech's last-ditch effort after a timeout resulted in a turnover at midcourt.
Liberty improves to 16-9 overall and gets back to .500 (5-5) in CUSA games. The Flames are 16-9 on the year and have won three straight league games. Liberty is 10-2 at home this season.
Louisiana Tech, who entered the night in sole possession of first place in the league, drops to 16-8 overall and 6-3 in the conference. The Bulldogs are now tied atop the standings with Sam Houston (6-3 CUSA).
The Flames split the regular season series with the Bulldogs, with the two games being decided by a total of seven points.
Metheny (21 points), Kyle Rode (18 points) and Brody Peebles (16 points) combined for 55 of Liberty's 65 points tonight.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Kaden Metheny 21 points, 8-15 FG, 3-7 3FG, 4 rebounds, 2 steals; Kyle Rode 18 points, 7-12 FG, 4-8 3FG; Brody Peebles 16 points, 6-11 FG, 3 steals; Zach Cleveland 7 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks (matched career high), 3 steals
Louisiana Tech Individuals: Isaiah Crawford 19 points, 9-12 FG, 6 steals, 4 blocks; Daniel Batcho 18 points, 8-14 FG, 9 rebounds; Tahlik Chavez 11 points, 3-7 3FG, 5 rebounds; Sean Newman Jr. 10 points, 4-6 FG, 7 assists
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the night shooting 47.2 percent (25-of-53) and 39.1 percent (9-of-23) from three-point territory. The Flames shot a blistering 65.4 percent (17-of-26) from the field in the second half. Louisiana Tech finished the game at 51.9 percent (27-of-52) and shot 58.3 percent (14-of-24) over the final 20 minutes. LA Tech outrebounded Liberty 31-25. The Bulldogs turned the ball over 19 times, their third highest total of the season. Liberty committed 15 turnovers, matching a season high. The Flames led the game for only 4:28, while the Bulldogs led for 32:01 (game was tied for 3:31).
Thoughts From Head Coach Ritchie McKayKADEN IS THAT GUY! ?? pic.twitter.com/pbwffuF45h
— Liberty Men's Basketball (@LibertyMBB) February 11, 2024
"Hats off to Louisiana Tech. That is a terrific team. They're a really hard prep because they have some terrific players. Coach (Talvin) Hester has done a phenomenal job, he and his staff. It's a great win because of the caliber of opponent. Secondly, we don't win that game without Flames Nation. They were tremendous and gave us a home-court advantage that we certainly needed tonight. I'm happy with our group and the way they navigated the bumpy road. There's a group of young men in that locker room that keep honoring the process of trying to get better. We're pleased to coach them."
Turning Point
Louisiana Tech led 29-22 at the half and held four separate nine-point leads in the second half, including a 48-39 advantage with 11:40 left. Liberty began its comeback with a 7-0 run, featuring back-to-back layups from Brody Peebles and Kaden Metheny and a three-pointer by Kyle Rode to narrow the gap to 48-46. A pair of baskets from Sean Newman Jr. put LA Tech back on top by six, 52-46, but Liberty answered with a pair of threes from Peebles and Rode on back-to-back possessions from Peebles and Rode to even the score at 52-all at the 5:53 mark.
Metheny gave Liberty the 55-52 lead with 5:03 remaining and scored a bucket on the next possession to put the Flames ahead 57-52 at the 4:33 mark. Kyle Rode's three-pointer as the shot clock expired put the hosts ahead 60-55 with 2:54 left. LA Tech scored the next five points to even it at 60-all.
Brody Peebles put Liberty back ahead with a fadeaway jumper in the paint at with 23.5 seconds on the clock before LA Tech tied it up with a layup with 12 seconds to go.
Key Stats & Notes
- This is Kaden Metheny's second 21-point game in the last three games. Metheny leads the Flames with 20 games in double figures. He is averaging 17.8 ppg over his last four contests and has hit 15 three-pointers in that span.
- Brody Peebles, making his second straight start, scored 16 points tonight and played a team-high 37:45. He matched a career high with three steals. Peebles moved into the top 50 in program history for career scoring and now sits at No. 48 in school history with 726 career points.
- Zach Cleveland matched a career high with four blocks. The sophomore added seven points, a team-high six rebounds, and a team-best five assists. Cleveland moved into the top 50 in program history for career assists (154). The sophomore ranks tied for 49th in program history in the category and has 103 of his 154 career assists this season.
- The Liberty defense held Louisiana Tech over 14 points below its scoring average (76.2 ppg) entering the night. The Flames' 10 steals tonight are tied for the second most in a game this year.
- This is the first time Liberty has won a game in which its opponent shot over 50 percent since the Flames bested Eastern Kentucky (51.7 percent) 79-73 in the ASUN Championship semifinals on March 2, 2023 at Liberty Arena.
- Liberty improves to 4-1 in CUSA home games. The Flames have won four straight home games.
Up Next
The Flames' next game will be a week from today at CUSA co-leader Sam Houston (13-11, 6-3 CUSA). Game time is 7:30 p.m. Eastern at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas.
Liberty and Sam Houston squared off on Jan. 20 at Liberty Arena, with the Flames earning an 82-66 victory in what was the first matchup between the squads in CUSA play. The Flames lead the all-time series 2-1.
Team Stats
LATech
Lib
FG%
.519
.472
3FG%
.308
.391
FT%
.571
.600
RB
31
25
TO
19
15
STL
11
10
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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