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Thursday, January 8
Ruston, La.
7:00 PM ET/6:00 PM CT
Liberty University
12-3,4-0CUSA
72
at
56
Louisiana Tech
8-7,1-3CUSA
1
2
F
Liberty
34
38
72
Louisiana Tech
27
29
56
Flames Pick Up 72-56 Road Win at LA Tech
1/8/2026 10:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
RUSTON, La. – The Liberty Flames picked up a 72-56 road win at Louisiana Tech on Thursday night to improve to 4-0 in Conference USA league play.
The Flames improve to 12-3 overall and extend their winning streak to six games overall. Liberty is 2-0 on the road in CUSA action and ended Louisiana Tech's nine-game home win streak which dated back to last season. The Bulldogs entered the night 8-0 at home this year. The Flames earned their first win at the Thomas Assembly Center in their third game at the facility.
LA Tech slips to 8-7 overall and 1-3 in the league after its third straight loss overall.
The Flames featured five players in double figures for a fourth straight game, led by Brett Decker Jr's 15-point effort. Colin Porter (11 points) became the 33rd player in program history to score 1,000 points in a Liberty jersey. Porter's layup at the 16:51 mark of the second half put him at 1,001 points, and he finished the night with 1,007 points for his career.
Liberty turned in a strong defensive performance, holding LA Tech (69.5 ppg) 13 points below its season average. The Flames held the Bulldogs to 35 percent shooting (21-of-60) on the night. LA Tech entered the night with the nation's second-best scoring defense (59.1 ppg allowed), and Liberty eclipsed that mark by nearly 13 points.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Brett Decker Jr. 15 points, 6-12 FG, 3-6 3FG, 6 rebounds; JJ Harper 13 points 4-7 FG, 4-4 FT; Colin Porter 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals; Kaden Metheny 11 points, 3-7 3FG, 3 rebounds; Zach Cleveland 10 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal; Josh Smith 8 points, 8 rebounds
Louisiana Tech Individuals: DJ Dudley 17 points, 7-14 FG, 3-5 3FG; Scooter Williams 9 points; Avery Thomas II 5 points, 10 rebounds
Key Team Stats: The Flames finished the night shooting 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the field and 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from long distance. The Bulldogs struggled from the floor, going 21-of-60 (35 percent) on the night. LA Tech only shot 30.3 percent (5-of-16) in the second half. Liberty improves to 12-0 when outshooting its counterpart. Liberty had its best rebounding performance against a Division I foe this season, grabbing 41 boards and outrebounding LA Tech 41-33. Six Flames grabbed three or more boards, led by eight from Josh Smith and seven from Zach Cleveland. Liberty also held edges in points in the paint (28-18), assists (13-12), points off turnovers (12-7) and second chance points (10-6). The Flames led for 38:14 of the 40 minutes. The Bulldogs only led for 40 seconds of the contest. Liberty only turned the ball over seven times, and LA Tech had eight. The Flames shot 81.3 percent (13-of-16) from the foul line, compared to 45.5 percent (5-of-11) for the Bulldogs.
Turning Point
Liberty's Zach Cleveland set the tone in the early going with 10 of the first 15 points for the visitors. The Flames used an 11-1 run to seize a 21-10 advantage, capped off by a Brett Decker Jr. basket at the 9:47 mark. Liberty continued to lead throughout the first half and took a 34-27 advantage into the locker room.
The Flames pushed the lead up to 50-37 with 12:26 left following a 7-3 run. Liberty maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way, and JJ Harper scored 11 of his 13 points in the second stanza in helping the guests pull away. Harper's putback slam at the 6:13 mark pushed the advantage to 60-45. Kaden Metheny made his first three three-pointers of the second half as well.
Key Stats & Notes
The Flames will close out a two-game road trip with a trip to Sam Houston (9-6, 1-3 CUSA) on Saturday. Game time between the Flames and Bearkats is set for 3:30 p.m. Eastern (2:30 p.m. Central) from Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas.
Liberty is 3-1 against Sam Houston since joining Conference USA. The Flames won both meetings with the Bearkats a season ago, including a 76-68 road triumph on Jan. 9, 2025.
The Flames improve to 12-3 overall and extend their winning streak to six games overall. Liberty is 2-0 on the road in CUSA action and ended Louisiana Tech's nine-game home win streak which dated back to last season. The Bulldogs entered the night 8-0 at home this year. The Flames earned their first win at the Thomas Assembly Center in their third game at the facility.
LA Tech slips to 8-7 overall and 1-3 in the league after its third straight loss overall.
The Flames featured five players in double figures for a fourth straight game, led by Brett Decker Jr's 15-point effort. Colin Porter (11 points) became the 33rd player in program history to score 1,000 points in a Liberty jersey. Porter's layup at the 16:51 mark of the second half put him at 1,001 points, and he finished the night with 1,007 points for his career.
Liberty turned in a strong defensive performance, holding LA Tech (69.5 ppg) 13 points below its season average. The Flames held the Bulldogs to 35 percent shooting (21-of-60) on the night. LA Tech entered the night with the nation's second-best scoring defense (59.1 ppg allowed), and Liberty eclipsed that mark by nearly 13 points.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Brett Decker Jr. 15 points, 6-12 FG, 3-6 3FG, 6 rebounds; JJ Harper 13 points 4-7 FG, 4-4 FT; Colin Porter 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals; Kaden Metheny 11 points, 3-7 3FG, 3 rebounds; Zach Cleveland 10 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal; Josh Smith 8 points, 8 rebounds
Louisiana Tech Individuals: DJ Dudley 17 points, 7-14 FG, 3-5 3FG; Scooter Williams 9 points; Avery Thomas II 5 points, 10 rebounds
Key Team Stats: The Flames finished the night shooting 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the field and 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from long distance. The Bulldogs struggled from the floor, going 21-of-60 (35 percent) on the night. LA Tech only shot 30.3 percent (5-of-16) in the second half. Liberty improves to 12-0 when outshooting its counterpart. Liberty had its best rebounding performance against a Division I foe this season, grabbing 41 boards and outrebounding LA Tech 41-33. Six Flames grabbed three or more boards, led by eight from Josh Smith and seven from Zach Cleveland. Liberty also held edges in points in the paint (28-18), assists (13-12), points off turnovers (12-7) and second chance points (10-6). The Flames led for 38:14 of the 40 minutes. The Bulldogs only led for 40 seconds of the contest. Liberty only turned the ball over seven times, and LA Tech had eight. The Flames shot 81.3 percent (13-of-16) from the foul line, compared to 45.5 percent (5-of-11) for the Bulldogs.
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— Liberty Men's Basketball (@LibertyMBB) January 9, 2026
Congrats to Colin Porter, who has now scored over 1,000 points in his collegiate career! pic.twitter.com/T6gj5Pcgsp
Turning Point
Liberty's Zach Cleveland set the tone in the early going with 10 of the first 15 points for the visitors. The Flames used an 11-1 run to seize a 21-10 advantage, capped off by a Brett Decker Jr. basket at the 9:47 mark. Liberty continued to lead throughout the first half and took a 34-27 advantage into the locker room.
The Flames pushed the lead up to 50-37 with 12:26 left following a 7-3 run. Liberty maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way, and JJ Harper scored 11 of his 13 points in the second stanza in helping the guests pull away. Harper's putback slam at the 6:13 mark pushed the advantage to 60-45. Kaden Metheny made his first three three-pointers of the second half as well.
Key Stats & Notes
- Liberty is 4-0 in Conference USA play for the first time. The Flames are the only squad in the league to win twice on the road in league play.
- Colin Porter is the 33rd player in program history with 1,000 or more career points in a Liberty jersey. Kaden Metheny accomplished the feat on Dec. 16 against Midway, and Zach Cleveland (972 points) is only 28 points away from 1,000.
- Cleveland notched his 11th game this year with seven or more assists. Cleveland moved into eighth place in school history with 448 career assists.
- The Flames have featured five double-digit scorers in all four CUSA games. Brett Decker Jr. (17.8 ppg) and Metheny (17.0 ppg) are Liberty's top two scorers in league play.
- Liberty earns its first win at Louisiana Tech's Thomas Assembly Center. The Flames move ahead of the Bulldogs in the all-time series, 3-2. Liberty's last two victories over LA Tech have been by a combined 40 points after the first three matchups between the two schools were decided by 12 points.
- Brett Decker Jr. was the Flames' top scorer (or tied) for the seventh time this year. The sophomore is the only Liberty player to score in double figures in all 15 games. He grabbed a career-high six rebounds tonight.
- Josh Smith turned in another strong performance off the bench with eight points and eight rebounds. The forward is averaging 9.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while logging 22 minutes off the bench in four CUSA games.
- Liberty is now above .500 all-time in CUSA road games at 10-9. The Flames are 9-2 in league road games over the past two seasons.
The Flames will close out a two-game road trip with a trip to Sam Houston (9-6, 1-3 CUSA) on Saturday. Game time between the Flames and Bearkats is set for 3:30 p.m. Eastern (2:30 p.m. Central) from Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas.
Liberty is 3-1 against Sam Houston since joining Conference USA. The Flames won both meetings with the Bearkats a season ago, including a 76-68 road triumph on Jan. 9, 2025.
Team Stats
Lib
LATech
FG%
.463
.350
3FG%
.375
.375
FT%
.813
.455
RB
41
33
TO
7
8
STL
5
4
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
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