
Flames Fall 69-61 to Blue Raiders in Final CUSA Road Game of Regular Season
3/5/2024 9:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The visiting Liberty Flames fell 69-61 to the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in their final Conference USA road game of the regular season, Tuesday evening at the Murphy Center.
Liberty moves to 17-13 on the year and 6-9 in CUSA action. The Flames finish their CUSA road portion of the schedule with a 1-7 record. Liberty is 2-8 overall on the road during the 2023-24 season.
Meanwhile, MTSU improves to 13-17 this year and 7-8 in league play. The Blue Raiders are now 6-2 in CUSA home contests and 11-6 overall on their home floor at the Murphy Center.
Zach Cleveland paced the Flames with 17 points. Kyle Rode notched his second double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and adding a career-best 13 rebounds. Brody Peebles scored 10 points. MTSU saw four player reach double digits in scoring, led by a game-high 19 points from Elias King. Jalen Jordan scored 17 points in 19:34 of action off the bench, while Jared Coleman-Jones notched a double-double of 15 points and 10 boards.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Zach Cleveland 17 points, 7-8 FG, 4 rebounds; Kyle Rode 12 points, 13 rebounds (career high); Brody Peebles 10 points, Kaden Metheny 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Middle Tennessee Individuals: Elias King 19 points, 2 steals; Jalen Jordan 17 points, 4-7 3FG, 5-5 FT; Jared Coleman-Jones 15 points, 10 rebounds; Justin Bufford 11 points
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 49 percent (24-of-49) for the evening but only converted on 29.2 percent (7-of-24) of its three-point attempts and 54.5 percent (6-of-11) of its foul shots. Conversely, Middle Tennessee shot a lower percentage from the field (39.7 percent, 23-of-58) but was 10-of-23 (43.5 percent) from the three-point line and 92.9 percent (13-of-14) from the foul line. Liberty committed 15 turnovers, which turned into 16 MTSU points. The Blue Raiders turned it over only nine times, leading to nine Flames points. Liberty held a 34-22 edge in points in the paint, while MTSU held a narrow 32-31 rebounding advantage. Middle Tennessee capitalized in transition, outscoring Liberty 15-0 in fast break points.
Thoughts From Head Coach Ritchie McKay
"I think our guys are giving great effort and trying really hard. We have flashes of brilliance, and we look like a better version of ourselves on multiple possessions. The 13 first half turnovers, and in the second half, Jordan made a couple of huge threes. I thought they got to the lane a little too easy on us. We didn't execute quite like we needed to to get a victory."
Turning Point
Despite shooting 60 percent (12-of-20) from the floor in the opening half, the Flames trailed 33-30 at the break due to 13 first-half turnovers.
Middle Tennessee pulled ahead by nine, 39-30, with a quick 6-0 run to start the second half, but Liberty answered with an 11-0 run to take the lead with 12:38 remaining, capped off by a Shiloh Robinson basket at the rim.
The Blue Raiders used a 20-5 run over the next five-plus minutes to take a 13-point lead, 59-46, with 7:13 left. Jalen Jordan keyed the run for the hosts, scoring 12 points during the spurt. He buried three threes and knocked down three free throws (was fouled shooting a three). Jordan's threes on back-to-back possessions put MTSU ahead 56-46, and he then knocked down the trio of free throws with 7:12 left for the 59-46 lead. Middle Tennessee kept the lead in double figures almost the entirety of the rest of the game. Liberty only got the game into single digits in the closing seconds.
Key Stats & Notes
The Flames will close out the regular season at home against Western Kentucky (19-10, 8-7 CUSA), Saturday afternoon. Tip time between Liberty and WKU is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Liberty Arena and can be seen on ESPN+. Saturday is Senior Day for the Flames. Prior to tipoff, the program will honor its senior class with a special ceremony.
Liberty and WKU met in Liberty's inaugural CUSA game back on Jan. 6 in Bowling Green, Ky. The Hilltoppers edged the Flames 70-68 at E.A. Diddle Arena in what was the first-ever meeting between the two squads.
Liberty moves to 17-13 on the year and 6-9 in CUSA action. The Flames finish their CUSA road portion of the schedule with a 1-7 record. Liberty is 2-8 overall on the road during the 2023-24 season.
Meanwhile, MTSU improves to 13-17 this year and 7-8 in league play. The Blue Raiders are now 6-2 in CUSA home contests and 11-6 overall on their home floor at the Murphy Center.
Zach Cleveland paced the Flames with 17 points. Kyle Rode notched his second double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and adding a career-best 13 rebounds. Brody Peebles scored 10 points. MTSU saw four player reach double digits in scoring, led by a game-high 19 points from Elias King. Jalen Jordan scored 17 points in 19:34 of action off the bench, while Jared Coleman-Jones notched a double-double of 15 points and 10 boards.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Zach Cleveland 17 points, 7-8 FG, 4 rebounds; Kyle Rode 12 points, 13 rebounds (career high); Brody Peebles 10 points, Kaden Metheny 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Middle Tennessee Individuals: Elias King 19 points, 2 steals; Jalen Jordan 17 points, 4-7 3FG, 5-5 FT; Jared Coleman-Jones 15 points, 10 rebounds; Justin Bufford 11 points
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 49 percent (24-of-49) for the evening but only converted on 29.2 percent (7-of-24) of its three-point attempts and 54.5 percent (6-of-11) of its foul shots. Conversely, Middle Tennessee shot a lower percentage from the field (39.7 percent, 23-of-58) but was 10-of-23 (43.5 percent) from the three-point line and 92.9 percent (13-of-14) from the foul line. Liberty committed 15 turnovers, which turned into 16 MTSU points. The Blue Raiders turned it over only nine times, leading to nine Flames points. Liberty held a 34-22 edge in points in the paint, while MTSU held a narrow 32-31 rebounding advantage. Middle Tennessee capitalized in transition, outscoring Liberty 15-0 in fast break points.
Thoughts From Head Coach Ritchie McKay
"I think our guys are giving great effort and trying really hard. We have flashes of brilliance, and we look like a better version of ourselves on multiple possessions. The 13 first half turnovers, and in the second half, Jordan made a couple of huge threes. I thought they got to the lane a little too easy on us. We didn't execute quite like we needed to to get a victory."
Turning Point
Despite shooting 60 percent (12-of-20) from the floor in the opening half, the Flames trailed 33-30 at the break due to 13 first-half turnovers.
Middle Tennessee pulled ahead by nine, 39-30, with a quick 6-0 run to start the second half, but Liberty answered with an 11-0 run to take the lead with 12:38 remaining, capped off by a Shiloh Robinson basket at the rim.
The Blue Raiders used a 20-5 run over the next five-plus minutes to take a 13-point lead, 59-46, with 7:13 left. Jalen Jordan keyed the run for the hosts, scoring 12 points during the spurt. He buried three threes and knocked down three free throws (was fouled shooting a three). Jordan's threes on back-to-back possessions put MTSU ahead 56-46, and he then knocked down the trio of free throws with 7:12 left for the 59-46 lead. Middle Tennessee kept the lead in double figures almost the entirety of the rest of the game. Liberty only got the game into single digits in the closing seconds.
Key Stats & Notes
- Liberty made 11 field goals in a row from the 18:22 mark of the first half to the 9:39 mark of the opening frame.
- The Flames (6-9) drop into a tie for fifth place in the Conference USA standings with UTEP (6-9), New Mexico State (6-9) and Jacksonville State (6-9).
- Kyle Rode grabbed 13 rebounds tonight, a new career high and his second game with 10 or more boards this year, both coming against MTSU. Rode had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds in the first meeting with the Blue Raiders on Feb. 8 at Liberty Arena.
- Liberty's 15 turnovers are tied for the second most in a game this season. The Flames only committed seven turnovers in the first meeting with the Blue Raiders, an 88-53 victory at home.
- This was Liberty's third game in the last six days. Prior to that stretch, the Flames played only two games in an 18-day stretch between Feb. 11-28.
- This was the second-ever meeting between Liberty and MTSU, with both matchups occurring in the last month.
- This is only the second time this season the Flames have allowed an opponent to make 10 or more threes. The Blue Raiders hit 10 triples. The only other time came on Dec. 30, when Alabama hit 14 against the Flames at the C.M. Newton Classic.
- Liberty has split the CUSA regular season series with six of the eight other teams in the league this year – MTSU, Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston, UTEP, New Mexico State and FIU. The only two teams the Flames have not split with are Jacksonville State, who won both meetings, and Western Kentucky. Liberty plays WKU on Saturday in the regular season finale.
- Joseph Venzant recorded two blocks for a second straight game.
- Brody Peebles scored 10 points, his ninth time in the last 10 games reaching double figures.
The Flames will close out the regular season at home against Western Kentucky (19-10, 8-7 CUSA), Saturday afternoon. Tip time between Liberty and WKU is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Liberty Arena and can be seen on ESPN+. Saturday is Senior Day for the Flames. Prior to tipoff, the program will honor its senior class with a special ceremony.
Liberty and WKU met in Liberty's inaugural CUSA game back on Jan. 6 in Bowling Green, Ky. The Hilltoppers edged the Flames 70-68 at E.A. Diddle Arena in what was the first-ever meeting between the two squads.
Team Stats
Lib
MTSU
FG%
.490
.397
3FG%
.292
.435
FT%
.545
.929
RB
31
32
TO
15
9
STL
3
7
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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