Liberty (5-1) defeated Louisiana (1-4), to advance into the winner’s bracket of the Paradise Jam on Friday night, defeating the Ragin’ Cajuns 89-69.
The Flames had a historic shooting performance in the Virgin Islands, shooting 33-49 from the field (67.3%) and 9-18 from three (50%). This effort marks the greatest shooting performance by a team in the Paradise Jam and is sixth all-time in Liberty program history for shooting percentage in a game.
Liberty led for a majority of the contest (over 36 minutes) and had a 13-0 run midway through the first half that kept the Flames in front by double digits for good. The Flames dominated inside, scoring 46 points in the paint, and outrebounded Louisiana 33-18. Liberty’s struggles at the free throw line continued (14-23) and the Flames turned the ball over 15 times (ties season-high) for a third game this season, but ultimately, their hot shooting was too much for the Ragin’ Cajuns to overcome.
Kaden Metheny led the team in scoring with 20 points (4-6 3FG) as he continues his hot start to the 2024-25 season. Zach Cleveland also continues to fill the stat sheet, as he added 12 points along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Liberty had six players with double figures in scoring and seven with at least seven points. The Flames have proven to have an incredibly balanced scoring attack with multiple options and when they are all shooting well, like tonight, historic shooting performances can and will happen.
Liberty will await the results of the George Washington and Kansas State game in the winner’s bracket of the Paradise Jam. The Flames will face the winner of that game on Sunday night at 8:00 PM EST on an ESPN Network.
