Liberty (9-1) defeated Mississippi Valley State (2-8) on Saturday night, 89-52. The Flames have won six straight games. The Delta Devils have now lost 11 straight Division I games and are 1-40 in their last 40 contests against Division I foes.
“Happy that we got a bunch of guys some minutes tonight,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay. “They have earned them. Guys that are seemingly invisible to most. They don’t get the same opportunities that some of our starters or guys that get longer minutes get. Happy that we got everyone in and stayed injury free.”
The Flames got off to a strong start led by guard Kaden Metheny. The 5’11” senior knocked down his first three triples to push the home team to an 11-2 early lead. 11 of Liberty’s first 13 field goal attempts came from behind the arc, making 6 of them as the lead expanded to 22-7 by the second media timeout of the night.
Liberty’s defense held MVSU to just 6 of 23 shooting for 26% in the first half. They missed all six of their three point attempts in the opening 20 minutes. The Flames made 8 of 19 from distance, closing the half on an 8-0 run to take a 40-16 lead into the break.
The three-point barrage from the home team would continue in the second half. Metheny knocked down two more, as did Zander Yates while Brett Decker also made a triple as the Flames pushed its lead to 40 points. Liberty would cruise to the final score, finishing 29 of 52 from the field (55.8%) while making 16 of 33 (48.5%) from three. It set a new season high in made triples for the Flames.
“We play together,” McKay said. “We are really unselfish. If you give Kaden Metheny an open look, you kinda know it’s going in. I just think our guys are really committed to making the right play and trying to make sure we are working for the best shot. I think that was really evident in the first 27 or 30 minutes. I think towards the end of the game we let up a little defensively. We will talk about that Monday.”
The Flames held MVSU to 41.7% shooting from the field. They did shoot 56% from the field in the second half as Coach McKay went deep into the bench for much of the final 10 minutes.
Metheny finished with a game-high 22 points, a new Liberty high for him. He did score a career high 29 during his time at Bowling Green. Metheny finished 6 of 9 from three point range, setting a new Liberty mark in most threes made in a game for the guard.
Isaiah Ihnen finished the night with 12 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds. Owen Aquino h ad 7 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Freshman guard Brett Decker scored 14 points, making 4 of 7 from three.
Flames’ forward Zach Cleveland missed his second consecutive game. He had a boot on his right foot.
“Zach would have wanted to play tonight, we just thought the more rest the better,” McKay said. “We’ve got three games next week coming up. I fully anticipate he will be ready.”
Liberty will be back in action next Saturday taking on North Carolina A&T. The Aggies are currently 3-6 on the season following their 67-55 loss at home to UNC Greensboro on Saturday. Tip-off from Liberty Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be on ESPN+.
