Towson Edges Liberty 72-69 in Semis of ESPN Events Invite
11/25/2025 3:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Towson overcame an eight-point second half deficit and edged Liberty 72-69 in the semifinals of the 2025 ESPN Events Invitational, Tuesday afternoon at State Farm Field House.
The Flames suffer their first loss of the 2025-26 season, falling to 5-1. Liberty will play in tomorrow's third place game at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The Flames will play the loser of the other semifinal between UC San Diego (5-0) and Bradley (3-3), which tips off at 5 p.m. tonight.
Towson (5-2) advances to tomorrow's championship game, slated for a noon tipoff on ESPN2. The Tigers will meet the winner of the UC San Diego/Bradley game.
The Flames featured four in double figures, paced by Kaden Metheny's team-high 16 ponts. JJ Harper added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Brett Decker Jr. had 13. Zach Cleveland tallied 12 points, eight boards and seven assists. CAA Preseason Player of the Year Tyler Tejada scored a game-high 20 points and added nine rebounds.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Kaden Metheny 16 points, 6-12 FG; JJ Harper 14 points, 4-4 FT, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks; Brett Decker Jr. 13 points, 5 rebounds; Zach Cleveland 12 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists; Colin Porter 8 points, 3 steals
Towson Individuals: Tyler Tejada 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks; Dylan Williamson 14 points, 4 rebounds; Jack Doumbia Jr. 15 points, 5-6 FT; Tyler Coleman 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 45.8 percent (27-of-59) for the game and 23.3 percent (7-of-30) from three, both season lows. The Flames were held under 70 points for the first time this season and were held 21 points below their season average (90.6 ppg) coming in. Towson finished at exactly 50 percent (29-of-58) from the field but only 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from long range. One of the biggest deciding factors in the game was the Tigers' 39-25 advantage in rebounding. Towson grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, leading to 17 second chance points. The Flames had six offensive rebounds for six points. Towson's bench also outscored Liberty's bench 26-6, led by 15 points from Jack Doumbia Jr. Both teams had 10 assists, with the Flames' 10 assists being a season low by six (previous season low 16). Each squad had 36 points in the paint. Liberty led for 21:02, and Towson led for 14:35, with the game being tied for 4:23.
Turning Point
Back-to-back layups from the Flames' Colin Porter and Brett Decker Jr. made it a 52-44 lead with 14:32 left. Towson worked its way back into the game with a 12-2 run over a span of 5:30, capped off by a Tyler Schmidt three-pointer for a 56-54 advantage with 9:02 to play. The Tigers stretched the lead to 63-58 with 4:20 to play after a three-point play from Jack Doumbia Jr. Liberty kept within striking distance, closing the gap to 65-63 on a Kaden Metheny three-pointer with 2:32 on the clock.
After a Dylan Williamson basket bumped the lead back up to four, 67-63, with 2:07 remaining, Liberty's JJ Harper converted a three-point play to get the Flames within a point seven seconds later. The Flames had chances to tie it or take the lead on their next three trips down the court but came up empty on each instance following missed three-points. The Tigers knocked down 3-of-4 free throws to pull ahead 70-66 with 15 ticks left.
Decker Jr. capitalized on another three-point play for the Flames to cut the Towson lead to one, 70-69, with 10 seconds left. After Tyler Tejada knocked down two free throws for the Tigers, Liberty had a chance to force overtime. However, Decker Jr's three-point shot just before the horn was blocked by Tejada.
Key Stats & Notes
Liberty's third place game opponent is to be determined. The Flames will face the loser of Tuesday's 5 p.m. game between the UC San Diego Tritons (5-0) and Bradley Braves (3-3).
The Flames have never faced UC San Diego. Liberty is 1-0 all-time versus Bradley. The two squads met at the 2022 Cancun Challenge, a 55-44 Flames triumph.
The Flames suffer their first loss of the 2025-26 season, falling to 5-1. Liberty will play in tomorrow's third place game at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The Flames will play the loser of the other semifinal between UC San Diego (5-0) and Bradley (3-3), which tips off at 5 p.m. tonight.
Towson (5-2) advances to tomorrow's championship game, slated for a noon tipoff on ESPN2. The Tigers will meet the winner of the UC San Diego/Bradley game.
The Flames featured four in double figures, paced by Kaden Metheny's team-high 16 ponts. JJ Harper added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Brett Decker Jr. had 13. Zach Cleveland tallied 12 points, eight boards and seven assists. CAA Preseason Player of the Year Tyler Tejada scored a game-high 20 points and added nine rebounds.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Kaden Metheny 16 points, 6-12 FG; JJ Harper 14 points, 4-4 FT, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks; Brett Decker Jr. 13 points, 5 rebounds; Zach Cleveland 12 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists; Colin Porter 8 points, 3 steals
Towson Individuals: Tyler Tejada 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks; Dylan Williamson 14 points, 4 rebounds; Jack Doumbia Jr. 15 points, 5-6 FT; Tyler Coleman 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 45.8 percent (27-of-59) for the game and 23.3 percent (7-of-30) from three, both season lows. The Flames were held under 70 points for the first time this season and were held 21 points below their season average (90.6 ppg) coming in. Towson finished at exactly 50 percent (29-of-58) from the field but only 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from long range. One of the biggest deciding factors in the game was the Tigers' 39-25 advantage in rebounding. Towson grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, leading to 17 second chance points. The Flames had six offensive rebounds for six points. Towson's bench also outscored Liberty's bench 26-6, led by 15 points from Jack Doumbia Jr. Both teams had 10 assists, with the Flames' 10 assists being a season low by six (previous season low 16). Each squad had 36 points in the paint. Liberty led for 21:02, and Towson led for 14:35, with the game being tied for 4:23.
Turning Point
Back-to-back layups from the Flames' Colin Porter and Brett Decker Jr. made it a 52-44 lead with 14:32 left. Towson worked its way back into the game with a 12-2 run over a span of 5:30, capped off by a Tyler Schmidt three-pointer for a 56-54 advantage with 9:02 to play. The Tigers stretched the lead to 63-58 with 4:20 to play after a three-point play from Jack Doumbia Jr. Liberty kept within striking distance, closing the gap to 65-63 on a Kaden Metheny three-pointer with 2:32 on the clock.
After a Dylan Williamson basket bumped the lead back up to four, 67-63, with 2:07 remaining, Liberty's JJ Harper converted a three-point play to get the Flames within a point seven seconds later. The Flames had chances to tie it or take the lead on their next three trips down the court but came up empty on each instance following missed three-points. The Tigers knocked down 3-of-4 free throws to pull ahead 70-66 with 15 ticks left.
Decker Jr. capitalized on another three-point play for the Flames to cut the Towson lead to one, 70-69, with 10 seconds left. After Tyler Tejada knocked down two free throws for the Tigers, Liberty had a chance to force overtime. However, Decker Jr's three-point shot just before the horn was blocked by Tejada.
Key Stats & Notes
- Kaden Metheny's 16 points give him 1,600 for his college basketball career. The guard has 973 points in 72 career games (13.5 ppg, three seasons) with Liberty.
- Brett Decker Jr. (13 points) is the only Flame to score in double figures in all six games so far this year. The sophomore guard is averaging 19.3 points per game.
- Tuesday's contest was a battle between preseason favorites in their respective leagues. Liberty was picked to win Conference USA, and Towson was voted first in the CAA preseason poll.
- This is Liberty's first time losing in a multi-team event (MTE) setting in its last eight games. The Flames had won seven straight in MTEs, including winning a pair of titles in the 2024 Paradise Jam and 2023 Myrtle Beach Invitational. The last time the Flames lost in a MTE setting was a 66-52 setback to Northwestern in the 2022 Cancun Challenge.
- The loss snaps the Flames' seven-game regular season winning streak, which dated back to the end of last season.
- Liberty's seven three-pointers today were its fewest of the season. The Flames had hit at least 10 triples in each of their first five contests.
- Coming into today, Liberty had only trailed for 4:17 of a possible 200 minutes. Towson held the lead for 14:35, but the Flames still possessed the lead for nearly seven more minutes (21:02).
- Liberty has led at the half in all six games this year. The Flames held a narrow 37-36 lead at the break today.
Liberty's third place game opponent is to be determined. The Flames will face the loser of Tuesday's 5 p.m. game between the UC San Diego Tritons (5-0) and Bradley Braves (3-3).
The Flames have never faced UC San Diego. Liberty is 1-0 all-time versus Bradley. The two squads met at the 2022 Cancun Challenge, a 55-44 Flames triumph.
Players Mentioned
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