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Saturday, February 7
Lynchburg, Va.
2:00 PM ET
Liberty University
20-3,12-0CUSA
79
vs
76
Missouri State
13-10,7-5CUSA
1
2
F
Missouri St.
38
38
76
Liberty
42
37
79
Cleveland Posts Triple-Double, Flames Hold Off Missouri State 79-76 For 14th Straight Win
2/7/2026 6:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty senior forward Zach Cleveland posted his first career triple-double (19 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists), and the Flames held off the Missouri State Bears 79-76 for their 14th straight win overall to stay unbeaten in conference play.
Cleveland's triple-double was the first by a Liberty player since Jan. 21, 2012, when Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame Jesse Sanders notched a triple-double versus High Point. Liberty extends its winning streak to 14 games, tied for the longest in program history. The streak is also the fourth longest in the nation at present.
Liberty improves to 20-3 overall and a perfect 12-0 in CUSA play. The Flames are the first team to go 12-0 or better to start CUSA competition since the 2012-13 Memphis squad (16-0). Liberty is one of five teams in the nation with an unbeaten league record at the moment. The Flames also stay unbeaten at Liberty Arena, bolstering their home mark to 12-0.
Missouri State falls to 13-10 overall and 7-5 in the league following the setback. The Bears trailed by as many as 20 in the second half and mounted a comeback before coming up short.
Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Brett Decker Jr. 20 points, 6-9 FG, 3-5 3FG, 5-5 FT; Zach Cleveland 19 points, 8-13 FG, 10 rebounds, 11 assists (first career triple-double), 2 steals, 1 block; Josh Smith 12 points, 5-6 FG, 2 blocks; Colin Porter 10 points, 7-10 FT, 6 assists, 3 steals; Kaden Metheny 8 points; JJ Harper 7 points, 3-4 FG
Missouri State Individuals: Keith Palek III 25 points, 9-17 FG, 3-4 3FG, 9 rebounds; Michael Osei-Bonsu 16 points, 6-12 FG, 4-12 FT, 9 rebounds, 2 steals; Kobi Williams 11 points, 4-4 FT
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 55.1 percent (27-of-49) on the afternoon, including a 65.4 percent mark (17-of-26) in the opening half. The Flames have shot 50 percent or better 15 times, winning in each instance. Missouri State finished the day at 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the field and 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from three. The Flames were 7-of-20 (35 percent) from deep and went 18-of-28 (64.3 percent) from the foul line. The Bears struggled from the foul line at 53.8 percent (14-of-26). Liberty assisted on 22 of 27 made field goal, led by 17 combined assists from Zach Cleveland (11) and Colin Porter (six). Missouri State finished with 14 assists. Liberty committed 10 turnovers, seven in the second half, compared to 11 total for Missouri State. The Flames led in points in the paint (38-34) and points off turnovers (14-9). The Bears led in rebounding (34-28), offensive rebounds (12-5), second chance points (17-6) and bench points (21-15). Liberty led for 34:21 of 40 minutes, with Missouri State only holding a lead for 1:05. The game featured six ties and six lead changes.
Turning Point
Liberty led by four at the break, 42-38, before opening the second half on an impressive 24-4 run to build up a 20-point lead (66-46) with 12 minutes to go. The Flames' run was capped off by a Zach Cleveland dunk at the 12:00 mark.
Missouri State clawed back into the game, trimming the deficit to single digits, 71-63, with 2:51 remaining following a basket from Michael Osei-Bonsu. A 7-0 Bears run, capped off by a pair of Keith Palek III free throws, cut the Liberty lead to 75-73 with 20 seconds on the clock. Senior Colin Porter split a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining. After a timeout, the Bears inbounded the ball looking to tie the game, but Colin Porter stole the ball from Tyrique Brooks at half court with seven second to go. Porter buried two free throws to push the lead to 78-73. Brooks drilled a three-pointer for the Bears with 1.4 seconds left to cut the Flames' lead back to two. Porter split a pair of free throws to bump the lead to 79-76. Missouri State's last attempt, a 30-foot heave from Kobi Williams, did not fall.
Key Stats & Notes
Up Next
The Flames will be back in action on the road, Wednesday night at New Mexico State (11-11, 4-8 CUSA). Tip time is 9 p.m. Eastern from the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M. Liberty topped NM State 73-71 at Liberty Arena, Jan. 15 in Lynchburg.
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.
Cleveland's triple-double was the first by a Liberty player since Jan. 21, 2012, when Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame Jesse Sanders notched a triple-double versus High Point. Liberty extends its winning streak to 14 games, tied for the longest in program history. The streak is also the fourth longest in the nation at present.
Liberty improves to 20-3 overall and a perfect 12-0 in CUSA play. The Flames are the first team to go 12-0 or better to start CUSA competition since the 2012-13 Memphis squad (16-0). Liberty is one of five teams in the nation with an unbeaten league record at the moment. The Flames also stay unbeaten at Liberty Arena, bolstering their home mark to 12-0.
Missouri State falls to 13-10 overall and 7-5 in the league following the setback. The Bears trailed by as many as 20 in the second half and mounted a comeback before coming up short.
Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Brett Decker Jr. 20 points, 6-9 FG, 3-5 3FG, 5-5 FT; Zach Cleveland 19 points, 8-13 FG, 10 rebounds, 11 assists (first career triple-double), 2 steals, 1 block; Josh Smith 12 points, 5-6 FG, 2 blocks; Colin Porter 10 points, 7-10 FT, 6 assists, 3 steals; Kaden Metheny 8 points; JJ Harper 7 points, 3-4 FG
Missouri State Individuals: Keith Palek III 25 points, 9-17 FG, 3-4 3FG, 9 rebounds; Michael Osei-Bonsu 16 points, 6-12 FG, 4-12 FT, 9 rebounds, 2 steals; Kobi Williams 11 points, 4-4 FT
Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 55.1 percent (27-of-49) on the afternoon, including a 65.4 percent mark (17-of-26) in the opening half. The Flames have shot 50 percent or better 15 times, winning in each instance. Missouri State finished the day at 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the field and 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from three. The Flames were 7-of-20 (35 percent) from deep and went 18-of-28 (64.3 percent) from the foul line. The Bears struggled from the foul line at 53.8 percent (14-of-26). Liberty assisted on 22 of 27 made field goal, led by 17 combined assists from Zach Cleveland (11) and Colin Porter (six). Missouri State finished with 14 assists. Liberty committed 10 turnovers, seven in the second half, compared to 11 total for Missouri State. The Flames led in points in the paint (38-34) and points off turnovers (14-9). The Bears led in rebounding (34-28), offensive rebounds (12-5), second chance points (17-6) and bench points (21-15). Liberty led for 34:21 of 40 minutes, with Missouri State only holding a lead for 1:05. The game featured six ties and six lead changes.
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— Liberty Men's Basketball (@LibertyMBB) February 7, 2026
Zach Cleveland notches his first career triple-double! pic.twitter.com/aA2UItaejS
Turning Point
Liberty led by four at the break, 42-38, before opening the second half on an impressive 24-4 run to build up a 20-point lead (66-46) with 12 minutes to go. The Flames' run was capped off by a Zach Cleveland dunk at the 12:00 mark.
Missouri State clawed back into the game, trimming the deficit to single digits, 71-63, with 2:51 remaining following a basket from Michael Osei-Bonsu. A 7-0 Bears run, capped off by a pair of Keith Palek III free throws, cut the Liberty lead to 75-73 with 20 seconds on the clock. Senior Colin Porter split a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining. After a timeout, the Bears inbounded the ball looking to tie the game, but Colin Porter stole the ball from Tyrique Brooks at half court with seven second to go. Porter buried two free throws to push the lead to 78-73. Brooks drilled a three-pointer for the Bears with 1.4 seconds left to cut the Flames' lead back to two. Porter split a pair of free throws to bump the lead to 79-76. Missouri State's last attempt, a 30-foot heave from Kobi Williams, did not fall.
Key Stats & Notes
- Zach Cleveland is the seventh player in school history to notch a triple-double and fourth different play to do so. Cleveland completed the triple-double with a defensive rebound at the 1:42 mark of the second half.
- The Flames' 14-game winning streak matches the longest streak in school history. The 2019-20 Liberty team began the year with 14 straight victories.
- Liberty (20-3) has now won 20 games for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons.
- Brett Decker Jr. (20 points) notched his ninth 20-point game of the season, with six of those coming at home. The sophomore guard is averaging 18.6 ppg in 12 home contests while shooting 53.5 percent from beyond the arc with 46 three-pointers in those games.
- Liberty has won 17 straight games (including postseason play) versus CUSA teams and is 23-1 in its last 24 games against league opponents dating back to last season.
- The Flames are 12-0 in conference play for the first time in program history.
- This afternoon's attendance of 3,991 was the 10th largest in Liberty Arena history. The Flames have not lost at home since March 2, 2025, a span of 342 days.
- Josh Smith scored 12 points off the bench, his second straight game in double figures. Smith was a +8 in 15:46 of action and was 5-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line while grabbing three rebounds and blocking two shots.
- Liberty was 6-of-8 from the free throw line in the final two minutes. The Flames are shooting 84.7 percent (50-of-59) from the foul line over the final two minutes of regulation and overtime in their 12 CUSA games.
- This was the Flames' first-ever win over the Bears in what was the first CUSA matchup between the two squads. Liberty is 1-1 all-time against Missouri State, with the only other meeting happening back in 2013.
Up Next
The Flames will be back in action on the road, Wednesday night at New Mexico State (11-11, 4-8 CUSA). Tip time is 9 p.m. Eastern from the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M. Liberty topped NM State 73-71 at Liberty Arena, Jan. 15 in Lynchburg.
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
MOST
Lib
FG%
.482
.551
3FG%
.471
.350
FT%
.538
.643
RB
34
28
TO
10
11
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
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