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Saturday, January 17
Lynchburg, Va.
3:00 PM ET
Liberty University
15-3,7-0CUSA
80
vs
69
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UTEP
6-12,2-5CUSA
1
2
F
UTEP
38
31
69
Liberty
41
39
80
Flames Push Past Miners in 2nd Half For 80-69 Win
1/17/2026 6:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty Flames pushed past the UTEP Miners in the second half for an 80-69 triumph on Saturday afternoon to stay unbeaten in CUSA play and at home on the year.
Liberty improves to 15-3 overall and a perfect 7-0 in CUSA matchups while bolstering its home record to a perfect 10-0. The Flames are riding a nine-game winning streak and have not lost since Dec. 10. Meanwhile, UTEP slips to 6-12 and 2-5 in the league. The Miners entered the day having won two of their last three games.
The Flames shot nearly 60 percent (59.3 percent, 32-of-54) in the victory while receiving a combined 68 points from Zach Cleveland (20 points), Brett Decker Jr. (20 points), Colin Porter (15 points) and Kaden Metheny (13 points).
This is Liberty's first 7-0 start in league play since the 2018-19 season, the Flames' first in the ASUN. The Flames have won 12 straight games (including postseason play) against CUSA opponents and 18-1 in their last 19 games against league foes dating back to last season.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Zach Cleveland 20 points, 9-10 FG; 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks; Brett Decker Jr. 20 points, 8-16 FG, 3-6 3FG; Colin Porter 15 points, 5-8 FG, 3-6 3FG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists; Kaden Metheny 13 points, 6-10 FG, 3 assists, 3 steals; Josh Smith 6 points, 4-4 FT
UTEP Individuals: Eliah Jones 21 points, 9-16 FG, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks; Caleb Blackwell 20 points (career high as Division I player), 7-13 FG, 6-11 3FG, 7 assists; Kaseem Watson 12 points, 5-9 FG
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the day shooting 59.3 percent (32-of-54) from the field, its 12th time this year shooting over 50 percent. UTEP shot 54.9 percent (28-of-51) from the floor, including a 47.8 percent mark (11-of-23) from long distance. The Miners are the fourth team this year to shoot 50 percent or better versus the Flames, and this is the first time Liberty won this year when it has happened. The Flames improve to 15-0 when outshooting their opponents. The Flames were 7-of-20 (35 percent) from the three-point line and 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) from the free throw line. Liberty dominated in the paint with a 46-22 advantage and led in rebounding (23-21), points off turnovers (19-11), second chance points (4-3) and bench points (8-5). UTEP held edges in assists (15-13) and second chance points (4-3). The Flames committed only six turnovers against a Miners squad which ranked No. 2 in CUSA in turnovers forced per game (13.65) coming into the day. This is Liberty's second straight game committing only six turnovers. The Flames led for 37:59, and the Miners led for only 23 seconds. Liberty's biggest lead was 17 points.
Turning Point
The Flames built up a 39-22 lead in the first 16-plus minutes of the game behind an extremely efficient offense. Liberty made 16 of its first 23 shots, punctuated by a Zach Cleveland stela and dunk, to build the 17-point lead with 3:13 remaining in the opening half. UTEP closed the first half on a 16-2 run, keyed by threes on the final three possessions from Caleb Blackwell, to trim the Liberty lead to 41-38 at the break.
UTEP made its first five shots of the second half and 11 shots overall spanning the end of the first half and start of the second stanza to even the game at 49-49 with 16:08 on the clock. Liberty responded with a 15-3 run (14:55 mark to 9:11 mark) of its own to push the lead back up to 14, 68-54. The Flames scored all of their points either at the rim or from the three-point line during that stretch. Senior Colin Porter buried a pullup triple at the 9:11 mark, his third and final three of the contest, to push the lead to 14.
Key Stats & Notes
Up Next
The Flames will play their next game on the road at Western Kentucky (11-7, 4-3 CUSA). Game time is 7:30 p.m. Eastern (6:30 p.m. Central) from E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky.
Liberty and WKU split the regular season series last year, with each squad winning on the road. The Flames bested the Hilltoppers 90-61 in last year's regular season finale (March 8, 2025) to claim their first CUSA regular title and sixth regular season title overall in the last seven seasons.
CUSA Championship Ticket Information
Ticket packages for the 2026 CUSA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are now on sale. Both the Flames and Lady Flames will look to defend their conference tournament titles at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala., March 10-14.
Fans can purchase an all-session booklet through the Liberty Ticket Office for $175, a savings of $25. This includes tickets to all nine men's games and all nine women's games throughout the tournament. To purchase tickets and find more information, please visit http://www.libertyflames.com/CUSABasketball.
Students will be able to purchase tickets for the tournaments on a session-to-session basis. These may be purchased at Propst Arena with a valid student ID (of a CUSA school) for half the price of the current day's session.
Liberty improves to 15-3 overall and a perfect 7-0 in CUSA matchups while bolstering its home record to a perfect 10-0. The Flames are riding a nine-game winning streak and have not lost since Dec. 10. Meanwhile, UTEP slips to 6-12 and 2-5 in the league. The Miners entered the day having won two of their last three games.
The Flames shot nearly 60 percent (59.3 percent, 32-of-54) in the victory while receiving a combined 68 points from Zach Cleveland (20 points), Brett Decker Jr. (20 points), Colin Porter (15 points) and Kaden Metheny (13 points).
This is Liberty's first 7-0 start in league play since the 2018-19 season, the Flames' first in the ASUN. The Flames have won 12 straight games (including postseason play) against CUSA opponents and 18-1 in their last 19 games against league foes dating back to last season.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Zach Cleveland 20 points, 9-10 FG; 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks; Brett Decker Jr. 20 points, 8-16 FG, 3-6 3FG; Colin Porter 15 points, 5-8 FG, 3-6 3FG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists; Kaden Metheny 13 points, 6-10 FG, 3 assists, 3 steals; Josh Smith 6 points, 4-4 FT
UTEP Individuals: Eliah Jones 21 points, 9-16 FG, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks; Caleb Blackwell 20 points (career high as Division I player), 7-13 FG, 6-11 3FG, 7 assists; Kaseem Watson 12 points, 5-9 FG
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished the day shooting 59.3 percent (32-of-54) from the field, its 12th time this year shooting over 50 percent. UTEP shot 54.9 percent (28-of-51) from the floor, including a 47.8 percent mark (11-of-23) from long distance. The Miners are the fourth team this year to shoot 50 percent or better versus the Flames, and this is the first time Liberty won this year when it has happened. The Flames improve to 15-0 when outshooting their opponents. The Flames were 7-of-20 (35 percent) from the three-point line and 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) from the free throw line. Liberty dominated in the paint with a 46-22 advantage and led in rebounding (23-21), points off turnovers (19-11), second chance points (4-3) and bench points (8-5). UTEP held edges in assists (15-13) and second chance points (4-3). The Flames committed only six turnovers against a Miners squad which ranked No. 2 in CUSA in turnovers forced per game (13.65) coming into the day. This is Liberty's second straight game committing only six turnovers. The Flames led for 37:59, and the Miners led for only 23 seconds. Liberty's biggest lead was 17 points.
Turning Point
The Flames built up a 39-22 lead in the first 16-plus minutes of the game behind an extremely efficient offense. Liberty made 16 of its first 23 shots, punctuated by a Zach Cleveland stela and dunk, to build the 17-point lead with 3:13 remaining in the opening half. UTEP closed the first half on a 16-2 run, keyed by threes on the final three possessions from Caleb Blackwell, to trim the Liberty lead to 41-38 at the break.
UTEP made its first five shots of the second half and 11 shots overall spanning the end of the first half and start of the second stanza to even the game at 49-49 with 16:08 on the clock. Liberty responded with a 15-3 run (14:55 mark to 9:11 mark) of its own to push the lead back up to 14, 68-54. The Flames scored all of their points either at the rim or from the three-point line during that stretch. Senior Colin Porter buried a pullup triple at the 9:11 mark, his third and final three of the contest, to push the lead to 14.
Key Stats & Notes
- Zach Cleveland (20 points) scored 20 or more points for the second time in his last three games. The senior matched a career high with four blocks while adding a team-high six boards and three steals. Cleveland has three 20-point games this year and nine for his career.
- Cleveland (9-of-10) started the game 9-of-9 from the field and only missed one field goal, a three-pointer with 1:06 remaining.
- Brett Decker Jr. scored 20 points, his seventh 20-plus point effort of the season. Decker Jr. has scored in double figures in all 18 games and has been the leading scorer (or tied) for Liberty nine times. The sophomore guard scored 14 of his 20 points today in the first half on 6-of-8 shooting.
- In 10 home games, all wins, Liberty is shooting 56.1 percent from the field and averaging 87.3 points per game.
- This is the Flames' first victory over UTEP at Liberty Arena. The Flames were 0-2 all-time against the Miners in the facility. Liberty is now 1-2 against UTEP in Liberty Arena, 2-0 against the Miners in El Paso and 1-1 against UTEP at a neutral site for a composite 4-3 all-time record.
- The Flames' current nine-game winning streak matches last season's longest winning streak of nine games (Nov. 17-Dec. 21, 2024). Liberty has not lost since Dec. 10, a span of 38 days.
- Colin Porter (15 points) has scored in double figures in seven of his last nine games. During the Flames' current nine-game winning streak, he's averaging 12.2 points per game on 50.7 percent shooting and 45 percent shooting from deep (18-of-40).
- Freshman guard Zander Carter made a big impact in his 17:01 of action today, compiling a +20 mark. Carter had two points and a rebound.
- Liberty is averaging 80.4 ppg on 51.4 percent shooting in its seven CUSA victories.
- Prior to the start of the game, Kaden Metheny, Zach Cleveland and Colin Porter were honored with a special ceremony for each scoring 1,000 career points in a Flames jersey. Liberty is one of two schools in the nation to feature three active players with 1,000-plus career points at their career institutions (other: Purdue).
- The Flames complete a perfect 2-0 weekend and are 4-0 in CUSA home games. Liberty topped New Mexico State 73-71 on Thursday night as well.
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— Liberty Men's Basketball (@LibertyMBB) January 17, 2026
Proud of our guys for reaching 1,000 points at Liberty! pic.twitter.com/bT8i7Vrm9A
Up Next
The Flames will play their next game on the road at Western Kentucky (11-7, 4-3 CUSA). Game time is 7:30 p.m. Eastern (6:30 p.m. Central) from E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky.
Liberty and WKU split the regular season series last year, with each squad winning on the road. The Flames bested the Hilltoppers 90-61 in last year's regular season finale (March 8, 2025) to claim their first CUSA regular title and sixth regular season title overall in the last seven seasons.
CUSA Championship Ticket Information
Ticket packages for the 2026 CUSA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are now on sale. Both the Flames and Lady Flames will look to defend their conference tournament titles at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala., March 10-14.
Fans can purchase an all-session booklet through the Liberty Ticket Office for $175, a savings of $25. This includes tickets to all nine men's games and all nine women's games throughout the tournament. To purchase tickets and find more information, please visit http://www.libertyflames.com/CUSABasketball.
Students will be able to purchase tickets for the tournaments on a session-to-session basis. These may be purchased at Propst Arena with a valid student ID (of a CUSA school) for half the price of the current day's session.
Team Stats
UTEP
Lib
FG%
.549
.593
3FG%
.478
.350
FT%
.500
.818
RB
21
23
TO
13
6
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
20
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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