Liberty (20-5, 8-4 CUSA) overcame a cold first half shooting stretch to defeat New Mexico State (12-12, 5-6), 64-54, on Thursday night in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
“Really a tale of two halves,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay. “I’m not used to seeing our team play a little bit lackluster, and I thought we did that in the first half. That’s our responsibility as a coaching staff and certainly the character and maturity of this group, they turned it around in the second half. New Mexico State had a lot to do with our first half. They played with great energy and effort, loose balls. Guys that haven’t been playing a whole lot, they came in and took advantage of the opportunity and put us on our heels. You can’t win at this level if you are on your heels. Really pleased with the last 20 minutes.”
For the first time this season, Liberty faced a halftime deficit, trailing 29-24 after the first 20 minutes. After a strong start and leading by as many as nine in the opening half following an Owen Aquino three, New Mexico State outscored Liberty, 21-7 over the final 10 plus minutes. The Flames went over five minutes without scoring late in the first half. Liberty was also just 3 of 14 from the free throw line in the opening half as Zach Cleveland made just 1 of his 8 free throws.
“Dick Bennett used to always say, ‘The least important statistic is the halftime score,” said McKay. “I wasn’t really worried about the score as much as I was concerned about the way we were playing. I just felt like we had to do a better job defensively and offensively. We were just a little casual and a little sluggish. I don’t want to take anything away from them because they can do that to you.”
Out of the locker room, the Flames responded and were much more laser-focused. Liberty opened the second half on a 12-1 run to reclaim the lead. It was aided by the team’s work on the defensive end, holding the Aggies without a field goal until the 12:24 mark of the half, that’s over seven minutes without a bucket to open the half.
“I thought Owen and Zach anchored our defense in a mighty way, especially in the second half,” McKay noted. “Then, our guards, I think we played a little more freely instead of playing not to make a mistake. We’re a group that we’re at our best when we’re in sync on both ends of the floor. I thought there was quite a contrast between half one and half two, but you can’t play perfect basketball throughout (25 games), but I’m grateful for the way we responded. It’s not easy. Winning on the road and winning in this league is going to be a tough test every night, but our guys appropriated it in a fashion that I think it was a significant deposit in our bank.”
It was the Taelon Peter and Owen Aquino show in the second half. After combining for just 6 points in the opening 20 minutes, those two combined for 25 points after intermission. That was more points than the Flames scored in the first half and matched New Mexico State’s output in the second half.
After a poor shooting first half, those two helped get things going in the right direction. Peter made two three pointers before the first media timeout of the second half and Aquino made all six of his free throw attempts. The Flames were 15 of 16 from the free throw line in the second half with Peter and Aquino combining to go 10 for 10.
“Owen actually broke the ice that was on the rim at the free throw line,” McKay quipped. “I’m telling you, that free throw thing can really get you going in the wrong direction. You start going up there not to miss instead of doing your every day routine. I thought Owen knocking down a couple free throws, Taelon getting loose for a basket or two, and then Kaden and Colin were their usual consistent self, not so much from a scoring stand point, but starring in their roles. Taelon is a starter, he just comes off the bench. We have six starters.”
The Flames were led by Taelon Peter who scored 20 points while shooting 6 of 8 from the field, 3 of 5 from three, and 5 of 7 from the free throw line. He also had 6 rebounds. Owen Aquino also reached double figures, finishing with 11 points. He did not miss a shot, making both of his field goals, including a three-pointer, and going a perfect six for six at the charity stripe. He also had 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
Aquino and Peter were 4 of 6 from three while the rest of the team was 2 for 16. For the game, t he Flames shot 27.3% from three and 44.4% from the field while finishing 18 of 30 from the free throw line. Liberty’s defense held the Aggies to 54 points on 34.5% shooting from the field and 4 of 20 from three.
The win secured the Flames’ 20th win of the season, as Liberty has now won 20 or more games in 8 of the past 9 seasons. The only year the Flames did not reach the 20-win plateau during that stretch was last year, the team’s first in CUSA. The Flames also improve to 4-2 on the road in conference play this season and 6-2 in true road games on the year.
“I think we have a better team,” McKay said of the improvement on the road this season compared to last year. “No disrespect to the guys we had, I think the guys we got that transferred here, they are terrific representatives of their families and our university. I think they are really talented. Kaden, Colin, Zach, Zander Gabriel, they have the humility to embrace those guys coming here. Our program is one in which every time we take the floor, we are going to have a belief, we are going to give our very best and hopefully get the desired outcome.”
It will be another quick turnaround for Liberty, as the Flames make the short trek from Las Cruces to El Paso, Texas to take on UTEP on Saturday night at 9 p.m. The Miners are currently 17-7 on the season and 7-4 in conference play. They also defeated Liberty, 72-70, back on January 16 in Lynchburg and have won three straight against the Flames.
