Saturday, February 1
Jacksonville, Ala.
5:00 PM ET/4:00 PM CT
Liberty University
17-5,5-4CUSA
61
at
72
Jacksonville State
15-7,7-2CUSA
1
2
F
Liberty
38
23
61
Jacksonville St.
32
40
72
Cleveland had 17 points, seven boards and seven assists at Jax State.
16-2 2nd Half Run Lifts Gamecocks to 72-61 Victory Over Flames
2/1/2025 7:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Jacksonville State used a 16-2 spurt in the second half to pull away from the Liberty Flames for a 72-61 victory at Pete Mathews Coliseum, Saturday night.
The Gamecocks maintain their first place position in Conference USA, improving to 7-2 in league play and 15-7 overall following their sixth straight win. The Flames drop to 17-5 on the year and 5-4 in conference competition. Liberty sees a three-game winning streak snapped. Jax State remained unbeaten on its home court, improving to 9-0 on the year.
Taelon Peter (19 points), Zach Cleveland (17 points) and Colin Porter (12 points) combined for 48 of Liberty's 61 points on the night. Jax State featured four double-digit scorers, led by Quel'Ron House's 18 points.
Jax State outscored Liberty 40-23 in the second half.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Taelon Peter 19 points, 7-14 FG, 5-12 3FG, 9 rebounds; Zach Cleveland 17 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists; Colin Porter 12 points, 5-11 FG
Jacksonville State Individuals: Quel'Ron House 18 points, 8-12 FG, 4 assists; Jao Ituka 13 points; Michael Houge 12 points, 6-11 FG, 7 rebounds; Marcell Brigham Jr. 10 points, 4-6 FG, 2 steals
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the night at 40.7 percent (24-of-59) from the field and 29.4 percent (10-of-34) from three-point land but shot only 34.5 percent in the second half and 13.3 percent from three in the final 20 minutes. Conversely, Jacksonville State finished the game at 49.1 percent (28-of-57) and was 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from the floor in the second stanza. The Flames only got to the foul line seven times, making three of those (42.9 percent). The Gamecocks were 92.9 percent (13-of-14) from the free throw stripe. Liberty doubled up Jax State in assists, 18-9. The Flames had eight turnovers, compared to seven for the Gamecocks. Jax State won the rebounding battle 38-29 and held edges in points off turnovers (10-5), points in the paint (34-26), second chance points (6-5), fast break points (10-2) and bench points (27-19). Liberty led for 23:16, while Jax State led for 16:20. Both teams held their biggest leads of 11 points.
Turning Point
A 16-2 run over a span of 6:30 in the second half turned a six-point Liberty lead into an eight-point deficit. The Jax State run started at the 17:55 mark and ran until the 11:25 mark. During that stretch, the Flames managed a single field goal. Marcellus Brigham Jr. scored the first eight points of the run, which included a basket in the paint, a three and a three-point play to put the hosts ahead 44-42 at the 16:20 mark. Jax State never trailed after Brigham Jr's three-point play.
The Gamecocks led 52-44 at the 11:25 mark, and the Flames managed to get within six on two occasions but never closer.
Key Stats & Notes
Liberty will return home to face Louisiana Tech (16-6, 5-4 CUSA) on Thursday night. Game tip from Liberty Arena 8 p.m. and can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
The Flames and Bulldogs will be meeting for the second time this season. LA Tech edged Liberty 79-74 in the first meeting, Jan. 11 at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, La. LA Tech holds a 2-1 lead in the all-time series.
In the last meeting at Liberty Arena (Feb. 10, 2024), the Flames bested the Bulldogs 65-62 behind a game-winning three-pointer from Kaden Metheny with 2.1 seconds remaining.
The Gamecocks maintain their first place position in Conference USA, improving to 7-2 in league play and 15-7 overall following their sixth straight win. The Flames drop to 17-5 on the year and 5-4 in conference competition. Liberty sees a three-game winning streak snapped. Jax State remained unbeaten on its home court, improving to 9-0 on the year.
Taelon Peter (19 points), Zach Cleveland (17 points) and Colin Porter (12 points) combined for 48 of Liberty's 61 points on the night. Jax State featured four double-digit scorers, led by Quel'Ron House's 18 points.
Jax State outscored Liberty 40-23 in the second half.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Taelon Peter 19 points, 7-14 FG, 5-12 3FG, 9 rebounds; Zach Cleveland 17 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists; Colin Porter 12 points, 5-11 FG
Jacksonville State Individuals: Quel'Ron House 18 points, 8-12 FG, 4 assists; Jao Ituka 13 points; Michael Houge 12 points, 6-11 FG, 7 rebounds; Marcell Brigham Jr. 10 points, 4-6 FG, 2 steals
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the night at 40.7 percent (24-of-59) from the field and 29.4 percent (10-of-34) from three-point land but shot only 34.5 percent in the second half and 13.3 percent from three in the final 20 minutes. Conversely, Jacksonville State finished the game at 49.1 percent (28-of-57) and was 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from the floor in the second stanza. The Flames only got to the foul line seven times, making three of those (42.9 percent). The Gamecocks were 92.9 percent (13-of-14) from the free throw stripe. Liberty doubled up Jax State in assists, 18-9. The Flames had eight turnovers, compared to seven for the Gamecocks. Jax State won the rebounding battle 38-29 and held edges in points off turnovers (10-5), points in the paint (34-26), second chance points (6-5), fast break points (10-2) and bench points (27-19). Liberty led for 23:16, while Jax State led for 16:20. Both teams held their biggest leads of 11 points.
Turning Point
A 16-2 run over a span of 6:30 in the second half turned a six-point Liberty lead into an eight-point deficit. The Jax State run started at the 17:55 mark and ran until the 11:25 mark. During that stretch, the Flames managed a single field goal. Marcellus Brigham Jr. scored the first eight points of the run, which included a basket in the paint, a three and a three-point play to put the hosts ahead 44-42 at the 16:20 mark. Jax State never trailed after Brigham Jr's three-point play.
The Gamecocks led 52-44 at the 11:25 mark, and the Flames managed to get within six on two occasions but never closer.
Key Stats & Notes
- Liberty jumped out of the gate by taking a commanding 12-2 lead in the first 5:29. The Flames led 38-32 at the break. Liberty falls to 14-4 on the year when leading at the half.
- Taelon Peter was one rebound shy of a double-double, grabbing a season-high nine boards to go with his game-high 19 points.
- Zach Cleveland posted an all-around strong stat line of 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
- Liberty suffers only its second road setback of the year. The Flames are now 5-2 in true road games.
- The Flames wrap up a three-game road trip with a 2-1 mark during those games. Liberty topped FIU and Kennesaw State before falling tonight to Jax State.
- The 11-point loss is the Flames' first double-digit setback of the 2024-25 season.
- Jax State has won the last three matchups with Liberty. The Gamecocks hold a 4-2 edge in the all-time series.
- Liberty falls to 11-3 this season in games in which it has hit 10 or more three-pointers.
- The Flames defense made it hard on CUSA-leading scorer Jaron Pierre (20.8 ppg coming in). The Gamecocks redshirt senior managed a season-low nine points on 3-of-13 shooting. Meanwhile, Jax State held Liberty leading scorer Kaden Metheny (13.6 ppg coming in) without a field goal and to one total point.
Liberty will return home to face Louisiana Tech (16-6, 5-4 CUSA) on Thursday night. Game tip from Liberty Arena 8 p.m. and can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
The Flames and Bulldogs will be meeting for the second time this season. LA Tech edged Liberty 79-74 in the first meeting, Jan. 11 at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, La. LA Tech holds a 2-1 lead in the all-time series.
In the last meeting at Liberty Arena (Feb. 10, 2024), the Flames bested the Bulldogs 65-62 behind a game-winning three-pointer from Kaden Metheny with 2.1 seconds remaining.
Team Stats
Lib
JSU
FG%
.407
.491
3FG%
.294
.273
FT%
.429
.929
RB
29
38
TO
8
7
STL
4
6
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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