.png&width=100&height=100&type=webp)
Saturday, March 9
Lynchburg, Va.
1:00 PM ET
Liberty University
18-13,7-9CUSA
82
vs
79
Western Kentucky
19-11,8-8CUSA
1
2
F
Western Ky.
32
47
79
Liberty
36
46
82
Liberty Hangs on For 82-79 Win Over WKU on Senior Day
3/9/2024 4:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty hung on for an 82-79 win over Western Kentucky in the regular season finale, Saturday afternoon on Senior Day at Liberty Arena.
The Flames wrap up the regular season with an 18-13 overall record and 7-9 CUSA mark. Liberty improves to 12-3 at home, finishing 6-2 against CUSA foes at Liberty Arena.
Fifth-year senior Kyle Rode led the Flames on his Senior Day, matching a career high with 31 points and tying a career high with seven made three-pointers. Fellow fifth-year senior Shiloh Robinson scored a season-best 14 points on his Senior Day. Colin Porter (15 points) and Kaden Metheny (12 points) joined Rode and Robinson in double figures.
Western Kentucky slips to 19-11 on the year and finishes with an even 8-8 mark in league play. The Hilltoppers have lost four straight games to wrap up the regular seed but will be the No. 3 seed for the CUSA Championship. WKU falls to 2-6 on the road in CUSA action and 6-7 overall on the road. The Flames earn a split with the Hilltoppers in the regular season series.
The Flames have earned the No. 4 seed for the upcoming 2024 CUSA Men's Basketball Championship, held this upcoming Tuesday through next Saturday at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala. Liberty will face No. 5 seed UTEP (16-15, 7-9 CUSA) in the quarterfinals on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. That game can be seen on ESPN+.
Prior to the game, the Flames honored their senior class with a special ceremony. Rode, Robinson, Gabriel McKay and Joe Bledsoe (Creative Video Producer) were all recognized.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Kyle Rode 31 points, 9-15 FG, 7-12 3FG, 6-8 FT; Colin Porter 15 points, 5-6 FT, 6 assists, 2 steals; Shiloh Robinson 14 points, 4-5 FG, 5-7 FT, 4 rebounds; Kaden Metheny 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists; Zach Cleveland 4 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Western Kentucky Individuals: Teagan Moore 16 points, 5-10 FG, 6-6 FT, 2 steals; Tyrone Marshall 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks; Don McHenry 9 points, 3 steals
Key Team Stats: Both teams shot above 50 percent from the floor, with WKU holding a slight edge in percentage. The Hilltoppers shot 51.7 percent (30-of-58) from the field but connected on only 5-of-16 three-pointers (31.3 percent). Meanwhile, the Flames made 51.1 percent (24-of-47) of their shots and were 11-of-28 (39.3 percent) from the three-point line. This is the second time Liberty has won a game this year in which its opponent shot over 50 percent. The Flames are now 4-11 in games this year in games they have been outshot in. The two teams compared for 48 free throw attempts, with Liberty hitting 74.2 percent (23-of-31) and WKU making 82.4 percent (14-of-17). The 31 free throw attempts for the Flames are a season high. The Hilltoppers held a narrow 29-27 rebounding edge and sizeable edges in bench points (41-14) and points in the paint (44-20). Liberty assisted on 17 of 24 made field goals, and WKU notched 14 assists on 30 field goal makes. Both teams committed 15 turnovers. Liberty led for 28:10 of the 40 minutes, and WKU held the lead for 9:01. The Hilltoppers led by as many as eight in the first half (8:30 mark), while the Flames' biggest lead was 10, 54-44, with 13:16 left.
Thoughts From Head Coach Ritchie McKay
"It was a really, really hard-fought game. They're a very good team and incredibly well-coached. I thought our guys' resiliency this afternoon was really good. I can't think of a better way to send Kyle Rode off from his last home game with a 31-point performance. I'm really pleased with our guys and how hard they battled because it was necessary to beat a team like the Hilltoppers."
Turning Point
Liberty turned an eight-point first half deficit into a 36-32 lead at the half and never trailed in the second half despite it being a one-possession game on several occasions. The Flames built up an eight point lead, 69-61, with 4:31 left, but WKU closed with three (73-70) with a 9-4 run.
Liberty led 78-72 with 38 seconds remaining following a pair of Shiloh Robinson free throws, but the Hilltoppers got within three, 80-77, following a triple from Dontaie Allen with nine seconds left. On the next inbounds play, the Flames committed a turnover, leading to a Don McHenry layup with five seconds left to cut the Liberty lead to 80-79. Colin Porter was fouled knocked down a pair of free throws. The Liberty defense held strong, as WKU could not get a shot off in the closing seconds.
Key Stats & Notes
The Flames have earned the No. 4 seed for the upcoming 2024 CUSA Men's Basketball Championship, held this upcoming Tuesday through next Saturday at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala. Liberty will face No. 5 seed UTEP (16-15, 7-9 CUSA) in the quarterfinals on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. That game can be seen on ESPN+.
Liberty and UTEP split the regular season series, with both teams winning on the road. The Flames edged the Miners 67-65 on Feb. 3 in El Paso, Texas. UTEP bested Liberty 67-51, last Saturday at Liberty Arena.
Visit https://libertyflames.com/feature/tournament-central to purchase your tickets today.
The Flames wrap up the regular season with an 18-13 overall record and 7-9 CUSA mark. Liberty improves to 12-3 at home, finishing 6-2 against CUSA foes at Liberty Arena.
Fifth-year senior Kyle Rode led the Flames on his Senior Day, matching a career high with 31 points and tying a career high with seven made three-pointers. Fellow fifth-year senior Shiloh Robinson scored a season-best 14 points on his Senior Day. Colin Porter (15 points) and Kaden Metheny (12 points) joined Rode and Robinson in double figures.
Western Kentucky slips to 19-11 on the year and finishes with an even 8-8 mark in league play. The Hilltoppers have lost four straight games to wrap up the regular seed but will be the No. 3 seed for the CUSA Championship. WKU falls to 2-6 on the road in CUSA action and 6-7 overall on the road. The Flames earn a split with the Hilltoppers in the regular season series.
The Flames have earned the No. 4 seed for the upcoming 2024 CUSA Men's Basketball Championship, held this upcoming Tuesday through next Saturday at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala. Liberty will face No. 5 seed UTEP (16-15, 7-9 CUSA) in the quarterfinals on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. That game can be seen on ESPN+.
Prior to the game, the Flames honored their senior class with a special ceremony. Rode, Robinson, Gabriel McKay and Joe Bledsoe (Creative Video Producer) were all recognized.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Kyle Rode 31 points, 9-15 FG, 7-12 3FG, 6-8 FT; Colin Porter 15 points, 5-6 FT, 6 assists, 2 steals; Shiloh Robinson 14 points, 4-5 FG, 5-7 FT, 4 rebounds; Kaden Metheny 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists; Zach Cleveland 4 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Western Kentucky Individuals: Teagan Moore 16 points, 5-10 FG, 6-6 FT, 2 steals; Tyrone Marshall 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks; Don McHenry 9 points, 3 steals
Key Team Stats: Both teams shot above 50 percent from the floor, with WKU holding a slight edge in percentage. The Hilltoppers shot 51.7 percent (30-of-58) from the field but connected on only 5-of-16 three-pointers (31.3 percent). Meanwhile, the Flames made 51.1 percent (24-of-47) of their shots and were 11-of-28 (39.3 percent) from the three-point line. This is the second time Liberty has won a game this year in which its opponent shot over 50 percent. The Flames are now 4-11 in games this year in games they have been outshot in. The two teams compared for 48 free throw attempts, with Liberty hitting 74.2 percent (23-of-31) and WKU making 82.4 percent (14-of-17). The 31 free throw attempts for the Flames are a season high. The Hilltoppers held a narrow 29-27 rebounding edge and sizeable edges in bench points (41-14) and points in the paint (44-20). Liberty assisted on 17 of 24 made field goals, and WKU notched 14 assists on 30 field goal makes. Both teams committed 15 turnovers. Liberty led for 28:10 of the 40 minutes, and WKU held the lead for 9:01. The Hilltoppers led by as many as eight in the first half (8:30 mark), while the Flames' biggest lead was 10, 54-44, with 13:16 left.
Thoughts From Head Coach Ritchie McKay
"It was a really, really hard-fought game. They're a very good team and incredibly well-coached. I thought our guys' resiliency this afternoon was really good. I can't think of a better way to send Kyle Rode off from his last home game with a 31-point performance. I'm really pleased with our guys and how hard they battled because it was necessary to beat a team like the Hilltoppers."
Turning Point
Liberty turned an eight-point first half deficit into a 36-32 lead at the half and never trailed in the second half despite it being a one-possession game on several occasions. The Flames built up an eight point lead, 69-61, with 4:31 left, but WKU closed with three (73-70) with a 9-4 run.
Liberty led 78-72 with 38 seconds remaining following a pair of Shiloh Robinson free throws, but the Hilltoppers got within three, 80-77, following a triple from Dontaie Allen with nine seconds left. On the next inbounds play, the Flames committed a turnover, leading to a Don McHenry layup with five seconds left to cut the Liberty lead to 80-79. Colin Porter was fouled knocked down a pair of free throws. The Liberty defense held strong, as WKU could not get a shot off in the closing seconds.
Key Stats & Notes
- Kyle Rode's 31-point effort matches a career high. The fifth-year senior scored 31 points as well against Wichita State, Nov. 17. Rode also tied a career high with seven three-pointers, a feat which he has accomplished three times this year.
- Rode's efficient day included a 60 percent effort (9-of-15) from the field, 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from long distance and 75 percent (6-of-8) from the foul line.
- Rode is up to 98 three-pointers on the season and needs two for the century mark.
- Shiloh Robinson scored a season-high 14 points this afternoon. His previous season high was 10 points. Robinson saw a season-high 22:27 of action today.
- Colin Porter scored 15 points and dished out six assists. His 15 points are tied for the second most in a game this season. It was also Porter 11th game with five or more assists this year.
- This is the first time this season Liberty won a game in which it gave up 75 or more points.
- Despite a lower scoring afternoon for Zach Cleveland (four points), the sophomore contributed across the board with a game-high eight rebounds, game-best seven assists, two steals and two blocks.
- The Flames' 82 points are tied for their third most in a CUSA game this season.
- Liberty defeated seven of the eight other CUSA teams in the regular season. The only team the Flames did not earn a win over was Jacksonville State.
- This senior class posted a 74-7 home record over the past five seasons.
The Flames have earned the No. 4 seed for the upcoming 2024 CUSA Men's Basketball Championship, held this upcoming Tuesday through next Saturday at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala. Liberty will face No. 5 seed UTEP (16-15, 7-9 CUSA) in the quarterfinals on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. That game can be seen on ESPN+.
Liberty and UTEP split the regular season series, with both teams winning on the road. The Flames edged the Miners 67-65 on Feb. 3 in El Paso, Texas. UTEP bested Liberty 67-51, last Saturday at Liberty Arena.
Visit https://libertyflames.com/feature/tournament-central to purchase your tickets today.
Thank You Seniors ?? pic.twitter.com/gwDrIOJbBE
— Liberty Men's Basketball (@LibertyMBB) March 9, 2024
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Team Stats
WestKy
Lib
FG%
.517
.511
3FG%
.313
.393
FT%
.824
.742
RB
29
27
TO
15
15
STL
12
8
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
F
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