Survive and Advance! The Flames pick up the win in the first round of the NIT to keep their season alive. Liberty (26-7, 17-3 CUSA) defeated 3-seed George Mason (23-10, 11-7 A-10), 77-71, in Fairfax, Virginia.

“I want to congratulate George Mason on the season they had,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay. “It’s really hard to qualify for postseason, and they had a terrific season. They are a terrifically well-coached team. To come in here and get a win, really proud of our group.”

Less than a week after a heartbreaking loss to 9-seed Missouri State in the CUSA Tournament quarterfinals, the Flames carried no hangover into this week and this game as Liberty pulled the upset against the A-10 foe, improving to 2-0 against that league this season.

“When you lose in your conference tournament, especially as a 1-seed, there is a tendency to maybe have a little bit of doubt and a whole lot of disappointment,” said McKay. “I think tonight just showed the character of our group. They played with a spirit of joy and connectivity that I thought was transformative. Really proud of our group.”

2025 CUSA Tournament MVP and All-CUSA third team selection Kaden Metheny didn’t play for the Flames as he was recovering from a calf injury suffered last week prior to the Missouri State game. Liberty big man Josh Smith stepped up in his absence and had a season high 23 points on 7 of 9 shooting from the field, 2 of 2 from three, and 7 of 8 from the free throw line to go along with 9 rebounds.

“The challenges are plentiful,” McKay said of playing without Metheny. “He is a security blanket for all of us. Kaden is such a terrific player. He tweaked his calf a little bit before the Missouri State game, played anyway. He’s got a heart of a champion, but he just couldn’t go tonight.”

George Mason missed its first four field goals and allowed Liberty to grab the early lead. The Flames would go on to lead for the duration of the contest, pushing the advantage to as many as 15 on a couple of occasions. The Patriots, one of seven programs in the country with 17 or more home wins this season, at 17-2 and 49-8 on its home floor under head coach Tony Skinn, would not go down without a fight. A 10-2 Mason run cut Liberty’s lead to 3 at 60-57 with 7:08 to play.  Just a few minutes later, the Patriots would tie the game at 65 with 3:32 remaining.

The game was also tied at 67 with just over a minute remaining. The Flames would go on a 10-2 run over the next 55 seconds to seize control of the game in the closing minute. It was a strong Zach Cleveland finish in the paint to break the tie. Then, JJ Harper blocked a shot and was able to run out ahead of the defense for the dunk to make it a two possession game. Smith then made four free throws before a Zander Carter dunk with three seconds remaining finished the scoring for the visiting team. Over the game deciding run, Liberty’s defense was clutch, holding George Mason without a field goal for over three minutes as they missed five straight attempts.

“Not unlike George Mason in the A-10, we play in a very competitive league,” McKay said. “In that league, we had a ton of close games. Our guys are used to that moment. We’ve just been ok defensively, but I thought tonight we took a step. We were way better defensively. Because of that, when you get a basket and a stop behind it, I think it fuels your confidence level a little bit.”

Liberty improves to 4-6 all-time against George Mason in the first meeting between the two in-state programs since Dec. 11, 2010. The Flames also improve to 3-13 all-time against Atlantic 10 opponents.

After Smith, Brett Decker was second on the team in scoring with 17 points on 7 of 16 shooting and just 1 of 6 from three. With Metheny out of the lineup, Decker played the entire 40 minutes.

Colin Porter also reached double figures with 10 points on 3 of 7 shooting from three. Zander Carter scored a new career high for him with 10 points off the bench on 5 of 6 shooting. The true freshman also had a new career high with 6 rebounds in 25 minutes. Zach Cleveland had 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists while JJ Harper scored 8 points.

Liberty was able to overcome 27 points from Jahari Long. George Mason shot just 29% from the field in the first half and finished the game at 39%. They made 5 of 17 (29%) from three and 20 of 24 from the free throw line. The Patriots won the rebound battle (36-32) thanks to a 15-8 edge in offensive boards leading to a 19-11 second chance points edge. The Flames finished the game shooting 49% from the floor and 6 of 17 (35%) from three while shooting 85% (17/20) from the free throw line.

The Flames advance to the second round of the NIT, the Sweet 16. Liberty will play the winner of 2-seed Nevada and Murray State in the next round. If the Wolfpack win, they will host that game, to be scheduled for either Saturday or Sunday this weekend, as the higher seeded team. If Murray State pulls off the upset, both the Flames and the Racers are unseeded teams. In that scenario, it is to be determined who would host.