Sunday, November 9
Lynchburg, Va.
6:00 PM ET
Liberty University
3-0,0-0CUSA
88
vs
68
Florida Atlantic
2-1,0-0American
1
2
F
Fla. Atlantic
30
38
68
Liberty
48
40
88
Liberty Shoots Past FAU 88-68 in Field of 68 Tip-Off Finale, Sunday Night
11/9/2025 10:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty Flames shot 55.2 percent from the floor and made 13 three-pointers on the way to a dominant 88-68 win over Florida Atlantic in the Field of 68 Tip-Off event finale, Sunday night at Liberty Arena.
Kaden Metheny and Brett Decker Jr. led the way in the scoring department with 47 combined points. Metheny scored a Liberty career-high 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting, and Decker Jr. added 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from deep. Zach Cleveland nearly notched his first career triple-double, totaling nine points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Cleveland's effort was still a double-double, his third straight to start the season. He is the national leader in double-doubles so far this year in the early going.
Liberty bolsters its record to 3-0 on the young season. Florida Atlantic falls to 2-1 after suffering its first loss. The Flames finish this year's Field of 68 Media Network Tip-Off with a 2-0 record after wins over Charleston (Friday) and FAU (tonight).
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Kaden Metheny 28 points (Liberty career high), 11-16 FG, 5-10 3FG; Brett Decker Jr. 19 points, 5-7 3FG; JJ Harper 13 points, 5-6 FG; Zach Cleveland 9 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists (career high), 4 steals (career high)
Florida Atlantic Individuals: Devin Vanterpool 24 points, 10-15 FG, 5 rebounds, 2 steals; Kanaan Carlyle 8 points, 4-4 FT, Devin Williams 7 points, 4 rebounds
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the night shooting 55.2 percent (32-of-58) from the floor and 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from long distance. The Flames' defense held FAU to 40 percent shooting (22-of-55) in the contests and only 20 percent (3-of-15) from deep. The Owls were efficient from the foul line, connecting on 21-of-24 attempts to shoot 87.5 percent. Liberty was 11-of-13 from the free throw line. Liberty led in assists (17-9), steals (8-5) and points in the paint (38-36). FAU had advantages in rebounding (34-28), second chance points (19-5), fast break points (11-2) and bench points (23-9). The Flames committed only nine turnovers, compared to 13 for the Owls.
Turning Point
Liberty never trailed in tonight's game, building a double digit lead, 31-19, with 8:14 left in the opening half following a Kaden Metheny three. Metheny scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half to help, and the Flames shot a blistering 65.5 percent (19-of-29) from the floor and 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from three to go into the locker room with a 48-30 lead. Metheny became the first player since Taelon Peter at Louisiana Tech (Jan. 11, 2025) to score 20 or more points in a half. Zach Cleveland added six points, four rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in the opening 20 minutes.
Midway through the second half with Liberty leading 59-45, Brett Decker Jr. caught fire with three-pointers on four straight possessions to push the lead up to 71-51 with 8:12 on the clock. FAU never got closer than 18 the rest of the way. The Flames led by as many as 26 (83-57) with 3:24 to go.
Key Stats & Notes
The Flames' next game will be at home versus Carolina University on Nov. 17. Tip time between the Flames and Bruins is slated for 7 p.m. at Liberty Arena.
Liberty is 3-0 on the season, with each victory coming at home.
Kaden Metheny and Brett Decker Jr. led the way in the scoring department with 47 combined points. Metheny scored a Liberty career-high 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting, and Decker Jr. added 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from deep. Zach Cleveland nearly notched his first career triple-double, totaling nine points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Cleveland's effort was still a double-double, his third straight to start the season. He is the national leader in double-doubles so far this year in the early going.
Liberty bolsters its record to 3-0 on the young season. Florida Atlantic falls to 2-1 after suffering its first loss. The Flames finish this year's Field of 68 Media Network Tip-Off with a 2-0 record after wins over Charleston (Friday) and FAU (tonight).
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Kaden Metheny 28 points (Liberty career high), 11-16 FG, 5-10 3FG; Brett Decker Jr. 19 points, 5-7 3FG; JJ Harper 13 points, 5-6 FG; Zach Cleveland 9 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists (career high), 4 steals (career high)
Florida Atlantic Individuals: Devin Vanterpool 24 points, 10-15 FG, 5 rebounds, 2 steals; Kanaan Carlyle 8 points, 4-4 FT, Devin Williams 7 points, 4 rebounds
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the night shooting 55.2 percent (32-of-58) from the floor and 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from long distance. The Flames' defense held FAU to 40 percent shooting (22-of-55) in the contests and only 20 percent (3-of-15) from deep. The Owls were efficient from the foul line, connecting on 21-of-24 attempts to shoot 87.5 percent. Liberty was 11-of-13 from the free throw line. Liberty led in assists (17-9), steals (8-5) and points in the paint (38-36). FAU had advantages in rebounding (34-28), second chance points (19-5), fast break points (11-2) and bench points (23-9). The Flames committed only nine turnovers, compared to 13 for the Owls.
Turning Point
Liberty never trailed in tonight's game, building a double digit lead, 31-19, with 8:14 left in the opening half following a Kaden Metheny three. Metheny scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half to help, and the Flames shot a blistering 65.5 percent (19-of-29) from the floor and 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from three to go into the locker room with a 48-30 lead. Metheny became the first player since Taelon Peter at Louisiana Tech (Jan. 11, 2025) to score 20 or more points in a half. Zach Cleveland added six points, four rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in the opening 20 minutes.
Midway through the second half with Liberty leading 59-45, Brett Decker Jr. caught fire with three-pointers on four straight possessions to push the lead up to 71-51 with 8:12 on the clock. FAU never got closer than 18 the rest of the way. The Flames led by as many as 26 (83-57) with 3:24 to go.
Key Stats & Notes
- Liberty finishes 2-0 at the 2025 Field of 68 Tip-Off. Florida Atlantic finished 1-1, and Charleston ended the event with a 0-2 record. The Flames won their two games by a combined 35 points.
- Kaden Metheny's 28 points are his most in a Liberty uniform, surpassing his previous mark of 26 points against Sam Houston. Metheny's collegiate career high is 29 points, which he accomplished at Eastern Michigan in 2021 while a member of the Bowling Green program.
- The Flames are 3-0 to start the season for a third straight year.
- Brett Decker Jr. is averaging 23.0 points per game while making 18 three-pointers at a 66.7 percent (18-of-27) through three games.
- Zach Cleveland nearly notched a triple-double with nine points, 10 rebounds, a career-high 10 assists and a career-high four steals. Cleveland is the first Flame since Darius McGhee on Feb. 8, 2022 against Lipscomb to record 10 or more assists in a game. The last Flame to record a triple-double was Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame member Jesse Sanders (14 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists) against High Point on Jan. 21, 2012.
- Cleveland is averaging 11.3 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 7.7 apg and 2.0 spg through three contests.
- JJ Harper finished with a season-high 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
- Liberty moves its record to 2-3 against FAU and earns its first win against the Owls since Dec. 20, 2002.
- The Flames finished the three-year series with a 3-3 mark. Liberty was 2-1 against Charleston and 1-2 versus FAU.
The Flames' next game will be at home versus Carolina University on Nov. 17. Tip time between the Flames and Bruins is slated for 7 p.m. at Liberty Arena.
Liberty is 3-0 on the season, with each victory coming at home.
Team Stats
FAU
Lib
FG%
.400
.552
3FG%
.200
.464
FT%
.875
.846
RB
34
28
TO
13
9
STL
5
8
Game Leaders
Pts
28
FGM
11
3FGM
5
FTM
1
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
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