Liberty (11-5, 0-1) fell at Western Kentucky (12-3, 1-0), 70-68, in Bowling Green, Kentucky on Saturday evening.

“Proud of our group, for their effort,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay following the game. “We have a terrific group of young men, didn’t get the desired outcome tonight. I love our character, love our ability to respond to adversity.”

The Flames trailed by 10 with just over 3 minutes left in the contest, but they came storming back and had a chance to tie or take the lead at the buzzer. After two missed WKU free throws, Zach Cleveland found an open Brody Peebles in the corner. His three bounced off the rim. Kaden Metheny would get the offensive rebound in the paint, dribbled to the same corner and launched a desperation shot as the clock expired and the Flames fell

Playing in its first ever Conference USA game, the Flames led much of the first half despite struggling to shoot from behind the arc. Liberty was just 3 of 13 from three at one point in the first half before back to back markers by Shiloh Robinson and Kyle Rode. It helped push the lead to its first half high of 7, but the home-standing Hilltoppers would storm back WKU went on a 10-0 run late in the opening 20 minutes, as they took a 34-33 lead into the halftime break.

“It’s a quick realization that we’re not in the ASUN,” said McKay of the first contest in CUSA. “I don’t remember a game having that many people in the previous 5 or 6 years, some of it is just capacity, that we’ve played. Certainly a dose of reality how good this conference is. I feel like we got better tonight even though we didn’t win.”

Liberty was just 3 of 18 from three after intermission. It allowed the Hilltoppers to take control of the game, as they led for much of the second half. The Flames finished the game shooting 23 of 67 from the field for 34% and just 8 of 35 from three for 23%.

Cleveland finished with a game high 23 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Kyle Rode added 15 points but was just 4 of 19 from field and 4 of 14 from three. The senior forward chipped in 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

The Flames will return home to take on Jacksonville State in a CUSA showdown on Wednesday night. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

LATE COMEBACK COMES UP SHORT

The teams exchanged the lead six times in the first six plus minutes of the second half in what was a back and forth battle. When the home team took the lead at 43-42 with 13:48 to play, they would not relinquish it again. The Hilltoppers used a 9-0 burst to put some distance between themselves and the Flames and led by as many as 13 with 4:42 to play. From there, Liberty went on a 16-5 closing run, coming up just short.

A Brody Peebles three pointer with 1:18 to play cut the Toppers lead to 3. Colin Porter cut it to 2 with his driving layup with 19 seconds remaining. WKU then missed two free throws. Liberty got the rebound, pushed the ball ahead with Zach Cleveland leading the charge. The 6’7″ point forward got into the lane before kicking to an open Peebles in the corner. His three pointer this time hit the rim and bounced out. Metheny got the rebound in the paint and dribbled to the same corner that Peebles shot from, and he hoisted a desperation three pointer that was no good as the Flames fell.

“I think it’s an indication that our group is tough-minded,” McKay said of his team’s fight in the closing minutes. “(WKU is) a hard guard. They have so much size and athleticism.”

COLD SHOOTING TOO MUCH TO OVERCOME

Liberty shot just 8 of 35 from three, a hair under 23% for the game. That’s uncharacteristic of this team and was too much to overcome on the road against a solid WKU squad. Rode was 4 of 14, Metheny was 2 of 8, and Peebles 1 of 6 from behind the arc.

“That’s a tough night for us,” said McKay of the shooting woes. “We got some looks, but I’m convinced those percentages will go up.”

“I feel like it’s part of college basketball where sometime it doesn’t go in. I know what kind of shooters we have. I feel like we took some great shots, we just didn’t make enough of them. There’s going to be improvement there, I am pretty confident in suggesting that.”

IT WILL BE TOUGH TO WIN IN CUSA MOST NIGHTS

It’s a considerable step up for the Flames moving into Conference USA. We’ve talked about it before, but this is a very good basketball league. The teams in this conference all have tradition. They all have winning programs. They all have talent and the ability to win on any given night.

Liberty is used to playing in the ASUN and before that the Big South. Those leagues typically ranked near the bottom of all college basketball leagues, ranking 25th or worse among the best conferences in Division I. CUSA has been consistently ranked in the top 12.

“This is a top 12, 13, 14 league in the country,” McKay said. “The top 10 are the high majors. I asked (Associate Head Coach Rob) Jones before the game (former assistant at Richmond in the A-10) how similar this game was to the A-10. He said he felt like it was going to be a difficult battle every single night, whether you’re on your home court or you’re on the road.”