Liberty (16-3, 8-0 CUSA) made a season high 17 three-pointers to pace the team past Western Kentucky (11-8, 4-4), 76-69, in Bowling Green, Kentucky on Wednesday night.
“Really hard fought,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay. “Western’s got a good team. They are well-coached, well-prepared. We got out of the gate really early. I knew that was going to come back because there was too many minutes left to play. He subbed all of his starters, called a couple of timeouts, and they came with a vigor that was ferocious. Really, really pleased with our response.”
As McKay alluded to, Liberty jumped out to a terrific start on the road. JJ Harper, Brett Decker, and Colin Porter all hit three-pointers out of the gate as the Flames led 9-0 and 15-2 in the opening minutes. It forced Western Kentucky head coach Hank Plona to use two timeouts early as he attempted to halt the Flames’ torrid pace to begin the game. He subbed out his entire starting lineup and it sparked the home team. The Hilltoppers went on a 14-0 run to take their first lead at 16-5. It was an extended 18-1 WKU run as the Flames went scoreless for 4:49 and were held without a field goal for 6:06. Liberty would go on a 13-2 spurt late in the first half to regain the lead and go into the locker room with a 35-32 lead.
Coming out of the locker room, Liberty gained control with a 16-2 run. The Hilltoppers were held scoreless for over three minutes as Liberty went up by double digits. Porter had back-to-back three-pointers and scored eight straight for the Flames as part of the run. The back and forth continued as Western went on a 9-2 spurt to cut the deficit to six. The teams would continue to exchange blows down the stretch as WKU attempted to keep the game within striking range.
Leading by 5 with less than a minute remaining, it initially looked like Liberty got a key stop. JJ Harper forced a jump ball and a turnover with the possession arrow favoring the Flames. However, after an official’s review, Zach Cleveland was called for a dead ball, technical foul. WKU hit the two free throws to cut their deficit to 3. After an offensive foul on the Hilltoppers, Josh Smith made a free throw to extend the lead back to two possessions at 71-67. Smith made three more free throws in the closing seconds to push the lead back out and finally put WKU away.
Due to foul trouble and the play of Western Kentucky, Cleveland was unable to have his typical impact on the game. He played in just 30 minutes, his lowest in conference play and lowest since Dec. 6 against Coppin State. He finished with just 3 points, his first time failing to reach double figures in nine games. Cleveland was 1 of 4 from the field with 5 rebounds, a season low 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.
“We know every game has a life of its own,” McKay said. “What happened last week or the last game or the first time you played an opponent the first time you played them in the conference season, it won’t be anything like the second time. Our team hasn’t been thwarted by negative instances. They’ve been able to get to the next play maybe a little quicker than we have in the past. That’s a direct attribute to Colin Porter, Zach Cleveland, Zander Yates, Kaden Metheny, guys that have been in the system and the program and have an adherence to flushing the stuff that happens so it doesn’t affect the next one.”
Western Kentucky allowed Liberty to shoot 17 of 29 (59%) from three. It marked a season high in three-pointers made and the first time the Flames have had double digit made threes since the conference opener in late December at FIU. The Toppers were content to force the Flames into the three-point shot as they packed the paint, holding Liberty to just 4 of 16 shooting inside the arc and only 8 points in the paint. Liberty is now 9-0 on the season when making 10 or more threes.
“They parked their big down there when he was in,” said McKay. “When he was on the bench, they decided to switch all the ball screen actions or the handoffs. 11 turnovers, I was a little disappointed that we didn’t take better care of the ball. Give them credit. They are physical. They do a really good job. We were taking what the defense was giving us.”
Liberty has now won 10 straight games, the fourth longest streak in school history. The Flames are also 8-0 in conference play for the first time in program history, besting the 2018-19 squad who started 7-0 in the ASUN. Liberty also improves to 4-1 in true road games this season and 4-0 on the road in conference play.
“Conference games are really hard,” said McKay. “It’s a long journey in a conference season. What our guys are doing, I’m grateful for. I think they’ve embraced the hard, and I think they are doing a really good job.”
JJ Harper got into double figures scoring for the 4th time in five games. He finished with 16 points on 4 of 6 shooting, 3 of 5 from three, and 5 of 7 from the free throw line. He also grabbed 4 rebounds.
“JJ did a phenomenal job,” McKay noted of Harper. “The players mention in the locker room, just his selflessness. He’s playing out of position. He has a lesser role than he probably had (last year). He never complains. His body is bruised. He gets beat up constantly. He just won’t complain or won’t back down. I think he’s got an unbelievable impact on our room and our guys see it, appreciate it.”
Kaden Metheny led the Flames in scoring with 19 points on 5 of 7 shooting from three. He also had 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Brett Decker had 15 points on 4 of 7 three-point shooting while Colin Porter scored 11 on 3 of 5 shooting from behind the arc.
Josh Smith picked up two fouls early in the first half, forcing Zander Yates to see the floor. He had 9 first half minutes, knocking down a three-pointer, the first time Yates has scored in a conference game this season. Yates finished the game playing in 11 minutes, the most he has played in a game since Dec. 6 against Coppin State.
The Flames are scheduled to return to Lynchburg and take on the Delaware Blue Hens from Liberty Arena on Saturday. Due to the forecasted weather, the game, which was scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., has been moved up to 1 p.m. on ESPN+. In their first season in Conference USA, Delaware is currently 5-13 overall and 1-6 in league play. They have not played since this past Saturday, a 97-68 loss on their home floor to New Mexico State.
