Liberty Deals Sam Houston First CUSA Loss with 82-66 Victory
Liberty scored a big win over Conference USA leaders Sam Houston, dealing them their first loss in the league this season. The game went down on Saturday evening at Liberty Arena, and the Flames took it home with a final score of 82-66.
This victory capped off a successful 2-0 weekend for the Flames, bringing their home record to 8-2. The Bearkats, on the other hand, now stand at 3-1 in the conference and 10-9 overall, with a somewhat challenging 3-7 record on the road.
Kyle Rode was the star of the show for Liberty, leading the team with an impressive 19 points and snagging eight rebounds. Colin Porter, the point guard, almost nabbed a triple-double, contributing 12 points, a career-best nine rebounds, and eight assists. Kaden Metheny also played a crucial role, hitting four three-pointers and notching 17 points.
Breaking it down individually, here are some notable performances: Kyle Rode with 19 points and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc, Kaden Metheny with 17 points and a sharp 4-of-5 from three-point range, Zach Cleveland with 14 points, and Colin Porter with 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Now, onto the team stats – Liberty showcased their shooting prowess, connecting on 56.6 percent of their shots from the field, marking their third-best performance of the season. They also dominated from long range, making 47.8 percent of their three-point attempts. In contrast, Sam Houston struggled, shooting at 46.3 percent overall and only 27.8 percent from three-point territory. The Flames also outperformed the Bearkats in rebounds, assists, points in the paint, and points off turnovers.
Liberty maintained control throughout the game, never letting Sam Houston take the lead. A crucial stretch in the second half, where Liberty made seven consecutive shots, allowed them to pull away. This hot streak turned their 11-point lead into an impressive 22-point advantage with less than five minutes left on the clock.
Key players in this run were Kaden Metheny, who started it with a driving layup and a three-pointer, and Kyle Rode, who capped it off with his fifth three-pointer of the night.
Speaking of three-pointers, Kyle Rode now boasts 61 on the season, while Kaden Metheny buried four triples in this game. Together, they went 9-of-11 from long distance. Rode had a strong first half, scoring 12 of his 19 points, while Metheny shone in the second half with 12 of his 17 points.
Some other noteworthy highlights include Colin Porter achieving a career-high nine rebounds and extending his double-digit scoring streak after 10 games. He also maintained an impressive assist/turnover ratio, ranking 10th in the country. Metheny continued his consistent performance, scoring in double figures for the 16th time this season.
The win broke Sam Houston's 10-game winning streak in league regular-season games, dating back to last year. Both Liberty and Sam Houston are newcomers to Conference USA, and this marked Sam Houston's first-ever setback in CUSA competition.
Liberty now leads the all-time series against Sam Houston with a 2-1 record and has won the last two meetings. The weekend also included a previous victory over FIU, making it a 2-0 weekend for the Flames.
To top it off, the game drew a crowd of 4,005, tying for the sixth-largest attendance in Liberty Arena history and marking the second-largest home crowd of the 2023-24 season.
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