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Saturday, January 10
Huntsville, Texas
3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT
Liberty University
13-3,5-0CUSA
82
at
74
Sam Houston
9-7,1-4CUSA
1
2
F
Liberty
34
48
82
Sam Houston
33
41
74
Liberty Shoots 77 Percent in 2nd Half in 82-74 Win at Sam Houston
1/10/2026 6:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Liberty shot 77 percent in the second half on the way to an 82-74 road Conference USA win at Sam Houston, Saturday afternoon at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
The Flames bolster their overall record to 12-3, including a 5-0 CUSA mark, after their seventh straight win. The Flames hand their Bearkats their first home loss, as Sam Houston falls to 5-1 in its own building. The Bearkats drop to 9-7 overall and 1-4 in CUSA action.
Liberty made 17-of-22 attempts (77.3 percent) in the final 20 minutes and sank 12 foul shots in scoring 48 points. The Flames finished the day at 56.9 percent (29-of-51) from the field. Liberty was led by a pair of 20-point efforts from Zach Cleveland (career-high-matching 23 points) and JJ Harper (season-high 20 points) along with 16 points from Brett Decker Jr.
Liberty is 3-0 in CUSA road games after a pair of wins on the road this weekend. The Flames also won at LA Tech, 72-56 on Thursday night.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Zach Cleveland 23 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks; JJ Harper 20 points (season high), 7-10 FG, 4 assists; Brett Decker Jr. 16 points, 5-9 FG; Josh Smith 8 points, 4-4 FT; Colin Porter 7 points, 5 assists
Sam Houston Individuals: Kashie Natt 20 points, 7-14 FG, 4-4 FT, 8 rebounds, 5 steals; Po'Boigh King 14 points, 6-12 FG; Justin Begg 13 points, 6 assists
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the day shooting 56.9 percent (29-of-51), its 10th game above 50 percent on the year. The Flames shot a sterling 77.3 percent (17-of-22) in the second half. Liberty was 18-of-23 (78.3 percent) from the free throw line. The Flames matched a season low with six three-pointers but only had 18 attempts (33.3 percent). Sam Houston finished the game shooting 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the field and 11-of-14 (78.6 percent) from the foul line while shooting 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from long distance. The Flames are 13-0 when outshooting their counterparts. Liberty tallied 22 assists on 29 made field goals, led by Zach Cleveland's 10 assists. The Flames also led in points in the paint (42-30), fast break points (10-5) and points off turnovers (19-18). The Bearkats had the advantage in rebounding (37-23), second chance points (11-4) and bench points (16-14). Liberty committed 12 turnovers, compared to 16 for Sam Houston. The Flames led for 33:24 of the 40 minutes, and the Bearkats led for 3:09.
Turning Point
Liberty led by one, 34-33, at the break before turning it on in the second half. Leading 49-45 with 14:17 left, the Flames used an extended 15-6 run to push the lead up to 13, 64-51, with 7:57 on the clock. Liberty's Zach Cleveland scored a layup for the 13-point edge, putting him over the 20-point mark on the night.
Liberty's lead grew to 17, 72-55, with 3:53 left following a pair of Josh Smith free throws. The Flames went to the free throw line nine times over the final 2:46, making six of those to help stave off the Bearkats.
Key Stats & Notes
Up Next
Liberty will return home to face New Mexico State (9-5, 2-2 CUSA), Thursday night. Game time is 6 p.m. at Liberty Arena. The contest will be carried live on CBS Sports Network.
The Flames are 3-1 against the Aggies all-time, with all four meetings coming in CUSA regular season play. Liberty bested NM State twice last year, including a 68-60 home triumph over the Aggies in Lynchburg (Jan. 18, 2025).
The Flames bolster their overall record to 12-3, including a 5-0 CUSA mark, after their seventh straight win. The Flames hand their Bearkats their first home loss, as Sam Houston falls to 5-1 in its own building. The Bearkats drop to 9-7 overall and 1-4 in CUSA action.
Liberty made 17-of-22 attempts (77.3 percent) in the final 20 minutes and sank 12 foul shots in scoring 48 points. The Flames finished the day at 56.9 percent (29-of-51) from the field. Liberty was led by a pair of 20-point efforts from Zach Cleveland (career-high-matching 23 points) and JJ Harper (season-high 20 points) along with 16 points from Brett Decker Jr.
Liberty is 3-0 in CUSA road games after a pair of wins on the road this weekend. The Flames also won at LA Tech, 72-56 on Thursday night.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Zach Cleveland 23 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks; JJ Harper 20 points (season high), 7-10 FG, 4 assists; Brett Decker Jr. 16 points, 5-9 FG; Josh Smith 8 points, 4-4 FT; Colin Porter 7 points, 5 assists
Sam Houston Individuals: Kashie Natt 20 points, 7-14 FG, 4-4 FT, 8 rebounds, 5 steals; Po'Boigh King 14 points, 6-12 FG; Justin Begg 13 points, 6 assists
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the day shooting 56.9 percent (29-of-51), its 10th game above 50 percent on the year. The Flames shot a sterling 77.3 percent (17-of-22) in the second half. Liberty was 18-of-23 (78.3 percent) from the free throw line. The Flames matched a season low with six three-pointers but only had 18 attempts (33.3 percent). Sam Houston finished the game shooting 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the field and 11-of-14 (78.6 percent) from the foul line while shooting 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from long distance. The Flames are 13-0 when outshooting their counterparts. Liberty tallied 22 assists on 29 made field goals, led by Zach Cleveland's 10 assists. The Flames also led in points in the paint (42-30), fast break points (10-5) and points off turnovers (19-18). The Bearkats had the advantage in rebounding (37-23), second chance points (11-4) and bench points (16-14). Liberty committed 12 turnovers, compared to 16 for Sam Houston. The Flames led for 33:24 of the 40 minutes, and the Bearkats led for 3:09.
Turning Point
Liberty led by one, 34-33, at the break before turning it on in the second half. Leading 49-45 with 14:17 left, the Flames used an extended 15-6 run to push the lead up to 13, 64-51, with 7:57 on the clock. Liberty's Zach Cleveland scored a layup for the 13-point edge, putting him over the 20-point mark on the night.
Liberty's lead grew to 17, 72-55, with 3:53 left following a pair of Josh Smith free throws. The Flames went to the free throw line nine times over the final 2:46, making six of those to help stave off the Bearkats.
Key Stats & Notes
- Liberty is 5-0 in CUSA play for the first time. The Flames are the first team since 2022-23 (Florida Atlantc, 11-0) to start 5-0 or better in CUSA action and the only team since they joined the league to do it.
- The Flames snap Sam Houston's seven-game home winning streak which dated back to last season.
- Zach Cleveland (23 points, 10 assists) notched his CUSA-leading sixth double-double. This is Cleveland's first double-double of the year in which he had 10 or more assists to complete the double-double. Cleveland stuffed the stat sheet with seven boards, two steals and two blocks as well.
- Cleveland's 23-point effort was his second 20-plus point game of the season and eighth of his career.
- Cleveland is up to 995 career points and needs five more to become the 34th player in Liberty history with 1,000 or more career points.
- JJ Harper's 20 points this afternoon were his most in a Liberty uniform, eclipsing his previous high of 16 against Coppin State on Dec. 6. Harper has 17 20-plus point games in his collegiate career (first at Liberty).
- Liberty is alone at the top of the CUSA standings at 5-0 and the only remaining unbeaten team in league play.
- Brett Decker Jr. (16 points) has scored in double figures in all 16 games, the only Flame to do so.
- Liberty improves to 4-1 against Sam Houston since joining CUSA and 5-2 all-time against the Bearkats. The Flames are 2-1 at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum since joining the conference and have won at the facility in back-to-back years.
- The Flames are 10-2 in CUSA road contests since the start of the 2024-25 season.
- Liberty improves to 9-0 this year when scoring 81 or more points.
Up Next
Liberty will return home to face New Mexico State (9-5, 2-2 CUSA), Thursday night. Game time is 6 p.m. at Liberty Arena. The contest will be carried live on CBS Sports Network.
The Flames are 3-1 against the Aggies all-time, with all four meetings coming in CUSA regular season play. Liberty bested NM State twice last year, including a 68-60 home triumph over the Aggies in Lynchburg (Jan. 18, 2025).
Team Stats
Lib
SHSU
FG%
.569
.435
3FG%
.333
.375
FT%
.783
.786
RB
23
37
TO
12
16
STL
8
8
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
11
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballF
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