Monday, November 3
Lynchburg, Va.
7:00 PM ET
Liberty University
1-0,0-0CUSA
98
vs
57
Kentucky Christian
0-1
1
2
F
Ky. Christian
27
30
57
Liberty
45
53
98
Decker Jr. scored a career-high 29 points versus Kentucky Christian.
Liberty Opens Year With 98-57 Home Win Against Kentucky Christian
11/3/2025 10:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty opened the 2025-26 season with a 98-57 home win against Kentucky Christian, Monday night at Liberty Arena.
The Flames (1-0) were led by Brett Decker Jr., who scored a career-high 29 points in his first career start. Zach Cleveland (13 points, 10 rebounds) notched his first career double-double, and JJ Harper (11 points) and Ryan Jones Jr. (10 points) both reached double figures in their Liberty debuts. Twelve of the 13 Flames who appeared in tonight's game scored, with Zander Carter (four points), Drew Grimes (four points), TJ Drain (four points) and Torr Sorensen (three points) all entering the scoring column for the first time in Liberty uniforms.
Kentucky Christian's record remains at 0-3 after the Knights counted tonight's game as an exhibition.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Brett Decker Jr. 29 points, 10-14 FG, 8-10 3FG, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals; Zach Cleveland 13 points, 6-7 FG, 10 rebounds, 5 assists; JJ Harper 11 points, 4-5 FG, 3 assists; Ryan Jones Jr. 10 points, 4-6 FT, 2-4 3FG; Colin Porter 9 points, 3-4 3FG, 6 assists, 5 rebounds; Kaden Metheny 6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
Kentucky Christian Individuals: Markell Hood 13 points; Parker Watts 13 points, 2-3 3FG; D'Angelo Stoxstill 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the night shooting 61.3 percent (38-of-62) from the floor and 48.5 percent (16-of-33) from three-point territory. The Flames' defense limited Kentucky Christian to 35 percent from the field (21-of-60). Liberty held a decisive 46-23 edge in rebounding and assisted on 24-of-38 made field goals, compared to only nine assists for KCU. The Flames led the Knights in points in the paint (44-18), points off turnovers (11-8), fast break points (24-2) and bench points (30-20).
Turning Point
Liberty never trailed in tonight's game, leading for 39:02 of the 40 minutes. A fast start featured four points from Zach Cleveland and six from Brett Decker Jr., with Decker Jr.'s three-point play pushing the lead to 10-2 at the 16:38 mark. Liberty went 17-of-29 (58.6 percent) in the opening stanza, fueled by 12 points from Decker Jr., to build a 45-27 lead at the break. Ryan Jones Jr., in his first action with the Flames, provided a spark off the bench with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 10:34 of action.
The Flames continued to pull away from the Knights in the second half, building the lead up to 25 (55-30) with 16:23 remaining following a Decker Jr. triple. Liberty's lead hit 30 for the first time at the 8:03 mark when TJ Drain's first career basket pushed the lead to 75-44. The Flames scored 23 points over the final 7:36, with eight different scorers during that span.
Key Stats & Notes
Liberty will be back in action on Friday night at home versus Charleston (1-0) in the opening game of the Field of 68 Media Network Tip-Off event. Tip time is 6 p.m. from Liberty Arena, and the game can be seen on ESPN+.
The Flames (1-0) were led by Brett Decker Jr., who scored a career-high 29 points in his first career start. Zach Cleveland (13 points, 10 rebounds) notched his first career double-double, and JJ Harper (11 points) and Ryan Jones Jr. (10 points) both reached double figures in their Liberty debuts. Twelve of the 13 Flames who appeared in tonight's game scored, with Zander Carter (four points), Drew Grimes (four points), TJ Drain (four points) and Torr Sorensen (three points) all entering the scoring column for the first time in Liberty uniforms.
Kentucky Christian's record remains at 0-3 after the Knights counted tonight's game as an exhibition.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Brett Decker Jr. 29 points, 10-14 FG, 8-10 3FG, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals; Zach Cleveland 13 points, 6-7 FG, 10 rebounds, 5 assists; JJ Harper 11 points, 4-5 FG, 3 assists; Ryan Jones Jr. 10 points, 4-6 FT, 2-4 3FG; Colin Porter 9 points, 3-4 3FG, 6 assists, 5 rebounds; Kaden Metheny 6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
Kentucky Christian Individuals: Markell Hood 13 points; Parker Watts 13 points, 2-3 3FG; D'Angelo Stoxstill 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the night shooting 61.3 percent (38-of-62) from the floor and 48.5 percent (16-of-33) from three-point territory. The Flames' defense limited Kentucky Christian to 35 percent from the field (21-of-60). Liberty held a decisive 46-23 edge in rebounding and assisted on 24-of-38 made field goals, compared to only nine assists for KCU. The Flames led the Knights in points in the paint (44-18), points off turnovers (11-8), fast break points (24-2) and bench points (30-20).
Turning Point
Liberty never trailed in tonight's game, leading for 39:02 of the 40 minutes. A fast start featured four points from Zach Cleveland and six from Brett Decker Jr., with Decker Jr.'s three-point play pushing the lead to 10-2 at the 16:38 mark. Liberty went 17-of-29 (58.6 percent) in the opening stanza, fueled by 12 points from Decker Jr., to build a 45-27 lead at the break. Ryan Jones Jr., in his first action with the Flames, provided a spark off the bench with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 10:34 of action.
The Flames continued to pull away from the Knights in the second half, building the lead up to 25 (55-30) with 16:23 remaining following a Decker Jr. triple. Liberty's lead hit 30 for the first time at the 8:03 mark when TJ Drain's first career basket pushed the lead to 75-44. The Flames scored 23 points over the final 7:36, with eight different scorers during that span.
Key Stats & Notes
- Brett Decker Jr.'s notched career highs in three-pointers made (8), field goals made (10) and points (29). The sophomore's eight triples are tied for the third most in a single game in program history and most since Darius McGhee hit nine threes against Bellarmine on Feb. 28, 2023.
- Decker Jr. was a team-best +34 in his 28:03 of action tonight. The sophomore guard's career high entering the night was 18 points, set two times. He is the first Flame to scored over 25 points in a game since Taelon Peter had 33 points in a win at Middle Tennessee on March 6.
- Zach Cleveland (13 points, 10 rebounds notched his second career double-double. The forward's other double-double came last year in a home win over UT Arlington (Dec. 21, 2024) when he tallied 18 points and 10 boards.
- Cleveland eclipsed 500 rebounds for his career with tonight's 10-board effort, becoming the 22nd player in school history with 500 or more boards. The senior forward ranks 21st in program history with 509 career rebounds.
- Ryan Jones Jr. scored a career-high 10 points tonight. Entering the contest, the most he scored last year at Virginia Tech in his lone season with the Hokies was four points.
- Liberty improves to 11-2 in season openers under Coach McKay and 32-22 all-time in season openers. The Flames have won the season opener each of the last five years.
- The Flames' 16 three-pointers tonight are the most since also hitting 16 in a 90-61 road win at Western Kentucky to close out the 2024-25 regular season (March 8, 2025).
Liberty will be back in action on Friday night at home versus Charleston (1-0) in the opening game of the Field of 68 Media Network Tip-Off event. Tip time is 6 p.m. from Liberty Arena, and the game can be seen on ESPN+.
#SCTop10 you might wanna check this out ??
— Liberty Men's Basketball (@LibertyMBB) November 4, 2025
?? @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/dUtypWlLuJ
Team Stats
KC
Lib
FG%
.350
.613
3FG%
.391
.485
FT%
.667
.545
RB
23
46
TO
9
10
STL
8
7
Game Leaders
Pts
29
FGM
10
3FGM
8
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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