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Wednesday, January 21
Bowling Green, Ky.
7:30 PM ET/6:30 PM ET
Liberty University
16-3,8-0CUSA
76
at
69
Western Kentucky
11-8,4-4CUSA
1
2
F
Liberty
35
41
76
Western Ky.
32
37
69
JJ Harper finished with 16 points on Wednesday as the Flames ran their winning streak to 10.
Liberty Wins 10th Straight, 76-69 on Road at WKU
1/21/2026 10:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Liberty picked up its 10th straight win overall, prevailing 76-69 over Western Kentucky at E.A. Diddle Arena on Wednesday night to stay unbeaten in CUSA play.
The Flames improve to 8-0 in the league, their best start in conference play in program history. Liberty bolsters its overall record to 16-3 on the season, including a 4-0 CUSA road mark and 5-1 overall road record.
Liberty's 10-game winning streak is its fourth streak of 10 or more victories in program history and longest winning streak since claiming 12 straight games from Jan. 16-March 7, 2021. The Flames drilled a season-high 17 three-pointers on only 29 attempts (58.6 percent). Liberty's 17 threes are their most ever in a Conference USA game.
WKU (11-8) drops its second straight home game, falling to an even 4-4 in CUSA action. The Flames have defeated the Hilltoppers two straight seasons at E.A. Diddle Arena and improve to 3-2 all-time in the head-to-head series.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Kaden Metheny 19 points, 5-7 3FG, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals; JJ Harper 16 points, 3-5 3FG, 4 rebounds, 2 steals; Brett Decker Jr. 15 points, 4-7 3FG; Colin Porter 11 points, 3-5 3FG, 4 assists
Western Kentucky Individuals: Teagan Moore 19 points, 5-8 FG, 4 rebounds; Grant Newell 16 points, 6-8 FG, 4 rebounds; Ryan Myers 14 points, 4-8 3FG; Armelo Boone 13 points, 13 rebounds
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot a season-best 58.6 percent (17-of-29) from long distance and was 46.7 percent (21-of-45) overall for the game. Western Kentucky finished the night at 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from long range and 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the floor. The Flames led in assists (15-13) and had 10 steals, their most against a Division I foe this year, compared to only five for WKU. The Hilltoppers led in rebounding (34-28), points in the paint (28-6), second chance points (15-5), fast break points (8-3) and bench points (21-12). Liberty committed 11 turnovers, compared to 13 for WKU. The Flames finished the night at 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the foul line, and the Hilltoppers shot 64.7 percent (11-of-17). Liberty was 6-of-8 from the free throw line in the final two minutes. Liberty led for 32:19, and WKU held the lead for only 4:09.
Turning Point
The Flames built up a 15-2 early lead before WKU answered with an 18-1 run to go up 20-16. Liberty answered to regain the lead and took a 35-32 advantage into the locker room.
The Flames pushed the lead out to 13, 52-39, with 11:40 left following a Colin Porter triple. The Liberty defense held WKU without a field goal (0-of-10) for a stretch in the second half as well. The Hilltoppers responded and got within six, 56-50, with 7:38 left. The Flames hit several key three-pointers in the closing stretch, including two from JJ Harper (5:56 mark and 2:36 mark) and one from Kaden Metheny (2:36 mark).
WKU used a late 7-1 run to pull within two (71-69) on Teagan Moore's putback with 25.9 seconds remaining. But the Hilltoppers missed two three-point attempts and committed a turnover on their last three possessions while the Flames iced the victory with a five-of-six showing at the foul line.
Key Stats & Notes
Liberty will host Delaware (5-13, 1-6 CUSA) in a league game, Saturday afternoon. Game time is 1 p.m. from Liberty Arena, and the contest will be carried live on ESPN+.
This will be the third all-time meeting between the squads but first in CUSA action. The Blue Hens are in their inaugural season in the league. Liberty is 1-1 all-time versus Delaware, with the last meeting happening during the 2014-15 season (Nov. 17, 2014). The Flames won that matchup by a 61-55 score at the Vines Center.
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.
The Flames improve to 8-0 in the league, their best start in conference play in program history. Liberty bolsters its overall record to 16-3 on the season, including a 4-0 CUSA road mark and 5-1 overall road record.
Liberty's 10-game winning streak is its fourth streak of 10 or more victories in program history and longest winning streak since claiming 12 straight games from Jan. 16-March 7, 2021. The Flames drilled a season-high 17 three-pointers on only 29 attempts (58.6 percent). Liberty's 17 threes are their most ever in a Conference USA game.
WKU (11-8) drops its second straight home game, falling to an even 4-4 in CUSA action. The Flames have defeated the Hilltoppers two straight seasons at E.A. Diddle Arena and improve to 3-2 all-time in the head-to-head series.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Kaden Metheny 19 points, 5-7 3FG, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals; JJ Harper 16 points, 3-5 3FG, 4 rebounds, 2 steals; Brett Decker Jr. 15 points, 4-7 3FG; Colin Porter 11 points, 3-5 3FG, 4 assists
Western Kentucky Individuals: Teagan Moore 19 points, 5-8 FG, 4 rebounds; Grant Newell 16 points, 6-8 FG, 4 rebounds; Ryan Myers 14 points, 4-8 3FG; Armelo Boone 13 points, 13 rebounds
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot a season-best 58.6 percent (17-of-29) from long distance and was 46.7 percent (21-of-45) overall for the game. Western Kentucky finished the night at 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from long range and 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the floor. The Flames led in assists (15-13) and had 10 steals, their most against a Division I foe this year, compared to only five for WKU. The Hilltoppers led in rebounding (34-28), points in the paint (28-6), second chance points (15-5), fast break points (8-3) and bench points (21-12). Liberty committed 11 turnovers, compared to 13 for WKU. The Flames finished the night at 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the foul line, and the Hilltoppers shot 64.7 percent (11-of-17). Liberty was 6-of-8 from the free throw line in the final two minutes. Liberty led for 32:19, and WKU held the lead for only 4:09.
Turning Point
The Flames built up a 15-2 early lead before WKU answered with an 18-1 run to go up 20-16. Liberty answered to regain the lead and took a 35-32 advantage into the locker room.
The Flames pushed the lead out to 13, 52-39, with 11:40 left following a Colin Porter triple. The Liberty defense held WKU without a field goal (0-of-10) for a stretch in the second half as well. The Hilltoppers responded and got within six, 56-50, with 7:38 left. The Flames hit several key three-pointers in the closing stretch, including two from JJ Harper (5:56 mark and 2:36 mark) and one from Kaden Metheny (2:36 mark).
WKU used a late 7-1 run to pull within two (71-69) on Teagan Moore's putback with 25.9 seconds remaining. But the Hilltoppers missed two three-point attempts and committed a turnover on their last three possessions while the Flames iced the victory with a five-of-six showing at the foul line.
Key Stats & Notes
- The Flames have won 13 straight games (including postseason play) against CUSA opponents and 19-1 in their last 20 games against league foes dating back to last season.
- Liberty's 8-0 CUSA start is the best by a conference team since 2022-23, when Florida Atlantic began 11-0 in CUSA play on its way to the Final Four.
- The Flames' 10-game winning streak is the eighth longest in the country at present.
- Kaden Metheny led the Flames with 19 points and paced the team with six assists while also sharing the team lead with five assists.
- Liberty has not lost since Dec. 10, a span of 43 days.
- Prior to tonight, Liberty's most threes in a CUSA game was 16, set two times. The Flames connected on 16 triples at home against FIU on Jan. 18, 2024 and last season in the regular season finale at WKU (March 8, 2025).
- Brett Decker Jr. (15 points) extended his streak of double-digit scoring games to 19.
Liberty will host Delaware (5-13, 1-6 CUSA) in a league game, Saturday afternoon. Game time is 1 p.m. from Liberty Arena, and the contest will be carried live on ESPN+.
This will be the third all-time meeting between the squads but first in CUSA action. The Blue Hens are in their inaugural season in the league. Liberty is 1-1 all-time versus Delaware, with the last meeting happening during the 2014-15 season (Nov. 17, 2014). The Flames won that matchup by a 61-55 score at the Vines Center.
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
Lib
WestKy
FG%
.467
.421
3FG%
.586
.417
FT%
.708
.647
RB
28
34
TO
11
13
STL
10
5
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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