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Thursday, March 14
Huntsville, Ala.
6:30 PM ET/5:30 PM CT
Liberty University
18-14,7-9CUSA
57
vs
66
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UTEP
17-15,7-9CUSA
1
2
F
UTEP
31
35
66
Liberty
30
27
57
Kaden Metheny
No. 5 Seed UTEP Overcomes 2nd Half Deficit to Top No. 4 Seed Liberty, 66-57
3/14/2024 9:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – No. 5 seed UTEP overcame a 12-point second half deficit to top No. 4 seed Liberty 66-57 in the 2024 CUSA Men's Basketball Championship quarterfinals, Thursday evening at Propst Arena.
The Miners trailed 54-42 with 10:33 left in the game before closing the game on a 24-3 run for the victory. UTEP improves to 17-15 on the year and has won four straight. The Miners move on to face No. 1 seed Sam Houston (21-11) in Friday's semifinal round.
Liberty falls to 18-14 following the defeat. Kaden Metheny led the Flames with a game-high 20 points and matched a season high with six made threes.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Kaden Metheny 20 points, 7-13 FG, 6-10 3FG; Joseph Venzant 10 points, 5-7 FG, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks; Kyle Rode 10 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds; Zach Cleveland 7 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists
UTEP Individuals: Zid Powell 13 points, 7-9 FT, 7 rebounds, 2 steals; David Terrell Jr. 12 points, 4-5 FG, 2 steals; Tae Hardy 11 points, 4 rebounds; Derick Hamilton 10 points, 4-5 FG
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the night shooting 44 percent (22-of-50) from the field, compared to 47.9 percent (23-of-48) for UTEP. Liberty hit 9-of-20 threes (45 percent) on the night, and UTEP hit only 1-of-9 (11.1 percent) from long distance. The Miners capitalized at the foul line, hitting 19-of-22 (86.4 percent). Meanwhile, the Flames struggled by going 4-of-10 (40 percent). UTEP held a 33-26 edge on the glass and advantages in points in the paint (40-26), second chance points (8-2) fast break points (16-8) and bench points (26-9). Liberty committed 15 turnovers, compared to 13 for UTEP. The Flames assisted on 17 of their 22 field goals, compared to only nine assists on 23 baskets for the Miners.
Turning Point
The Flames trailed by a point at the half, 31-30, but surged ahead in the second half for a 54-42 lead with 10:33 left on the clock. Metheny's sixth three of the evening gave Liberty that 12-point cushion.
However, UTEP roared back, scoring 24 of the game's final 27 points the rest of the way to prevail by nine. During the final 10:33, the Flames missed the front end of one-and-one situations three times. UTEP took its first lead since halftime, 57-56, with 3:32 to play on a pair of Zid Powell free throws. The Miners hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch, and the Flames only scored one point the rest of the way.
Key Stats & Notes
The Miners trailed 54-42 with 10:33 left in the game before closing the game on a 24-3 run for the victory. UTEP improves to 17-15 on the year and has won four straight. The Miners move on to face No. 1 seed Sam Houston (21-11) in Friday's semifinal round.
Liberty falls to 18-14 following the defeat. Kaden Metheny led the Flames with a game-high 20 points and matched a season high with six made threes.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Kaden Metheny 20 points, 7-13 FG, 6-10 3FG; Joseph Venzant 10 points, 5-7 FG, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks; Kyle Rode 10 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds; Zach Cleveland 7 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists
UTEP Individuals: Zid Powell 13 points, 7-9 FT, 7 rebounds, 2 steals; David Terrell Jr. 12 points, 4-5 FG, 2 steals; Tae Hardy 11 points, 4 rebounds; Derick Hamilton 10 points, 4-5 FG
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the night shooting 44 percent (22-of-50) from the field, compared to 47.9 percent (23-of-48) for UTEP. Liberty hit 9-of-20 threes (45 percent) on the night, and UTEP hit only 1-of-9 (11.1 percent) from long distance. The Miners capitalized at the foul line, hitting 19-of-22 (86.4 percent). Meanwhile, the Flames struggled by going 4-of-10 (40 percent). UTEP held a 33-26 edge on the glass and advantages in points in the paint (40-26), second chance points (8-2) fast break points (16-8) and bench points (26-9). Liberty committed 15 turnovers, compared to 13 for UTEP. The Flames assisted on 17 of their 22 field goals, compared to only nine assists on 23 baskets for the Miners.
Turning Point
The Flames trailed by a point at the half, 31-30, but surged ahead in the second half for a 54-42 lead with 10:33 left on the clock. Metheny's sixth three of the evening gave Liberty that 12-point cushion.
However, UTEP roared back, scoring 24 of the game's final 27 points the rest of the way to prevail by nine. During the final 10:33, the Flames missed the front end of one-and-one situations three times. UTEP took its first lead since halftime, 57-56, with 3:32 to play on a pair of Zid Powell free throws. The Miners hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch, and the Flames only scored one point the rest of the way.
Key Stats & Notes
- Kaden Metheny's 20-point effort was his fourth of the season. Metheny's six three-pointers tonight match a season high. He also made six triples against FIU on Jan. 18.
- UTEP defeated Liberty two times this season, while the Flames topped the Miners once.
- Kyle Rode hit his 99th and 100th three-pointers of the season tonight. Rode becomes the sixth player in program history to make 100 or more three-pointers in a single season.
- Kyle Rode finished with 10 points, his 72nd career game in double figures.
- Joseph Venzant tallied 10 points and eight boards tonight, his fourth game in double figures scoring this year.
- This is the first time the Flames will not play in a conference tournament semifinal round since the 2017 Big South Championship.
- This was Liberty's first season as a Conference USA member.
Team Stats
UTEP
Lib
FG%
.479
.440
3FG%
.111
.450
FT%
.864
.400
RB
33
26
TO
13
15
STL
11
4
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
6
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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