Saturday, December 20
Dayton, Ohio
12:30 PM ET
Liberty University
8-3,0-0CUSA
64
at
61
Dayton
9-4,0-0Atlantic 10
1
2
F
Liberty
29
35
64
Dayton
33
28
61
Liberty Prevails 64-61 Over Dayton on Road
12/20/2025 4:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DAYTON, Ohio – Liberty prevailed 64-61 over host Dayton on Saturday afternoon, snapping the Flyers' 33-game home non-conference winning streak.
The Flames have now won back-to-back games and finish their non-conference portion of the schedule with an 8-3 record following the Quad 1 road win over the Flyers in front of a sellout crowd. Dayton sees a two-game winning streak snapped and falls to 9-4 overall and 7-1 at home this season.
Liberty was led by Zach Cleveland, who put up a double-double of 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds along with seven assists, three blocks and two steals. Kaden Metheny paced all Flames with 16 points, followed by 15 points from Brett Decker Jr. and 13 from Colin Porter.
The Flames only turned the ball over six times against a Flyers defense that entered the day eighth nationally in turnovers forced per game (17.67). Liberty entered the day No. 8 in the country in fewest turnovers per game (9.1). The Flames held the Flyers to a season-low 61 points, 20 points below their season average (81.2) coming in.
Liberty's next game will be its Conference USA opener after Christmas at FIU (5-4) on Dec. 28.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Kaden Metheny 16 points, 7-14 FG; Brett Decker Jr. 15 points, 6-12 FG, 3-8 3FG; Colin Porter 13 points, 5-8 FG, 3-4 3FG, 3 rebounds; Zach Cleveland 12 points, 16 rebounds (career high), 7 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals
Dayton Individuals: Amael L'Etang 19 points, 4-8 3FG, 5 rebounds; Javon Bennett 17 points, 3-8 3FG, 4-4 FT, 5 rebounds; Keonte Jones 9 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 48.1 percent (26-of-54) for the game and 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from long distance. The Flames' defense held the Flyers to 37.7 percent from the field, their second-worst shooting game of the season. Dayton was 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from long distance. Liberty held edges in assists (14-11), points the paint (36-20), points off turnovers (10-9) and fast break points (4-2). The Flyers' two fast break points were over 12 points below their season average (14.08) in that department. Dayton had the upper hand in rebounding (37-28), second chance points (12-3), and bench points (10-4). The Flyers led for 21:37 of the 40 minutes, while Liberty held the lead for 13:09. The game was tied six different times for a total of 5:14.
Turning Point
The Flames trailed by 10, 29-19, at the 6:41 mark before holding the Flyers nearly six-and-a-half minutes without a field goal to creep back into the game and trail only 33-29 at the half.
Liberty used a 13-0 run early in the second half to turn a 37-29 deficit into a 42-37 advantage. The Flames' run came via a pair of dunks from Zach Cleveland and JJ Harper, a three from Brett Decker Jr. (for a 38-37 lead) and layups from Colin Porter, Kaden Metheny and Zach Cleveland. Cleveland's layup in transition put the Flames ahead 42-37 with 14:21 left. Liberty pushed the lead to as many as seven, 51-44, with 9:28 remaining following a Porter triple. Porter canned another three at the 6:14 mark to make it a 56-51 lead. Dayton answered with a 10-2 run, capped off by a three-point play from Keonte Jones at the 2:28 mark, to regain a 61-58 advantage with 2:28 on the clock.
Liberty closed the game on a 6-0 run over the final 2:08 to secure the victory. The Flames held the Flyers to 0-of-4 shooting in the final 1:45. Porter's big three at the 2:08 mark knotted the contest at 61-all. Following a pair of stands on the defensive end, Cleveland drew a foul with 43 seconds on the clock and split a pair of free throws to take the lead. The Liberty defense came up with another crucial stop on Dayton's next possession. On the other end, Metheny put the guests ahead 64-61 with a layup with 12.4 seconds remaining. Dayton's Jacob Conner's three-point attempt in the closing seconds came up empty, and the Flyers grabbed the offenedid not have time to take another shot as the clock expired.
Key Stats & Notes
The Flames' next game will be their conference opener after Christmas. Liberty will play at FIU (5-4) on Dec. 28. Tip time is 2 p.m. from the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
The Flames swept a pair of regular season games against the Panthers last year, winning 82-59 on the road (Jan. 25) and 58-45 at home (Feb. 22).
Liberty is 0-2 all-time in CUSA openers, with the two losses coming by a combined three points.
The Flames have now won back-to-back games and finish their non-conference portion of the schedule with an 8-3 record following the Quad 1 road win over the Flyers in front of a sellout crowd. Dayton sees a two-game winning streak snapped and falls to 9-4 overall and 7-1 at home this season.
Liberty was led by Zach Cleveland, who put up a double-double of 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds along with seven assists, three blocks and two steals. Kaden Metheny paced all Flames with 16 points, followed by 15 points from Brett Decker Jr. and 13 from Colin Porter.
The Flames only turned the ball over six times against a Flyers defense that entered the day eighth nationally in turnovers forced per game (17.67). Liberty entered the day No. 8 in the country in fewest turnovers per game (9.1). The Flames held the Flyers to a season-low 61 points, 20 points below their season average (81.2) coming in.
Liberty's next game will be its Conference USA opener after Christmas at FIU (5-4) on Dec. 28.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Kaden Metheny 16 points, 7-14 FG; Brett Decker Jr. 15 points, 6-12 FG, 3-8 3FG; Colin Porter 13 points, 5-8 FG, 3-4 3FG, 3 rebounds; Zach Cleveland 12 points, 16 rebounds (career high), 7 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals
Dayton Individuals: Amael L'Etang 19 points, 4-8 3FG, 5 rebounds; Javon Bennett 17 points, 3-8 3FG, 4-4 FT, 5 rebounds; Keonte Jones 9 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 48.1 percent (26-of-54) for the game and 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from long distance. The Flames' defense held the Flyers to 37.7 percent from the field, their second-worst shooting game of the season. Dayton was 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from long distance. Liberty held edges in assists (14-11), points the paint (36-20), points off turnovers (10-9) and fast break points (4-2). The Flyers' two fast break points were over 12 points below their season average (14.08) in that department. Dayton had the upper hand in rebounding (37-28), second chance points (12-3), and bench points (10-4). The Flyers led for 21:37 of the 40 minutes, while Liberty held the lead for 13:09. The game was tied six different times for a total of 5:14.
Turning Point
The Flames trailed by 10, 29-19, at the 6:41 mark before holding the Flyers nearly six-and-a-half minutes without a field goal to creep back into the game and trail only 33-29 at the half.
Liberty used a 13-0 run early in the second half to turn a 37-29 deficit into a 42-37 advantage. The Flames' run came via a pair of dunks from Zach Cleveland and JJ Harper, a three from Brett Decker Jr. (for a 38-37 lead) and layups from Colin Porter, Kaden Metheny and Zach Cleveland. Cleveland's layup in transition put the Flames ahead 42-37 with 14:21 left. Liberty pushed the lead to as many as seven, 51-44, with 9:28 remaining following a Porter triple. Porter canned another three at the 6:14 mark to make it a 56-51 lead. Dayton answered with a 10-2 run, capped off by a three-point play from Keonte Jones at the 2:28 mark, to regain a 61-58 advantage with 2:28 on the clock.
Liberty closed the game on a 6-0 run over the final 2:08 to secure the victory. The Flames held the Flyers to 0-of-4 shooting in the final 1:45. Porter's big three at the 2:08 mark knotted the contest at 61-all. Following a pair of stands on the defensive end, Cleveland drew a foul with 43 seconds on the clock and split a pair of free throws to take the lead. The Liberty defense came up with another crucial stop on Dayton's next possession. On the other end, Metheny put the guests ahead 64-61 with a layup with 12.4 seconds remaining. Dayton's Jacob Conner's three-point attempt in the closing seconds came up empty, and the Flyers grabbed the offenedid not have time to take another shot as the clock expired.
Key Stats & Notes
- Zach Cleveland's 16 rebounds are a career high. He is the first Flame to grab 16 or more boards since Scottie James had 17 against Georgia State on Dec. 1, 2019 in a home win at the Vines Center.
- Liberty held Dayton to 28 second half points. The Flyers' 61 points were their fewest since scoring 53 in a road loss at St. Bonaventure, Jan. 28
- Cleveland notched his CUSA-leading fourth double-double of the year and sixth game with 10 or more boards this year. Cleveland has five career double-doubles.
- This was Liberty's first road win of the season. The Flames improve to 1-1 on the road and 10-3 in away games over the last two seasons.
- Today was the first-ever meeting between the Flames and Flyers. Dayton will make the trip to Lynchburg in 2026 as a part of a two-year home-and-home series.
- This was Liberty's second all-time win over an A-10 team in 15 attempts. The Flames' only A-10 triumph previously was against Virginia Tech, a 62-61 road win over the Hokies on Nov. 11, 1999 back when they were an A-10 school.
- This was the 85th straight home sellout for the Dayton Flyers.
- Coming into today, Dayton was 51-4 in their last 55 home games overall, dating back to the 2022-23 season.
The Flames' next game will be their conference opener after Christmas. Liberty will play at FIU (5-4) on Dec. 28. Tip time is 2 p.m. from the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
The Flames swept a pair of regular season games against the Panthers last year, winning 82-59 on the road (Jan. 25) and 58-45 at home (Feb. 22).
Liberty is 0-2 all-time in CUSA openers, with the two losses coming by a combined three points.
Team Stats
Lib
UD
FG%
.481
.377
3FG%
.444
.333
FT%
.444
.800
RB
28
37
TO
6
10
STL
7
3
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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