Three takeaways from Liberty’s win over NMSU

Liberty (17-11, 6-7) returned home and got back in the win column, defeating New Mexico State (11-18, 5-9), 83-58, in front of 3,262 fans at Liberty Arena in Lynchburg, Virginia on Thursday night.

“I think our guys, we didn’t play with a revenge motive, we just played just trying to honor the process and get better,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay. “I thought our group did that tonight.”

The Flames came out firing from behind the arc to begin the game, utilizing a 12-0 run midway through the opening half to push the lead out to double figures. New Mexico State would not go away quietly, pushing the home-standing Flames, cutting the deficit to as few as three early in the second half. An extended 19-4 run in the second half pushed the lead to 57-41. Liberty would maintain control from there.

Liberty shot 53.4% from the field and 14 of 28 from three. Zach Cleveland led the team with 22 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. Kyle Rode added 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Colin Porter finished the night with 11 points while Brody Peebles added 10.

The Flames will remain at home, facing UTEP on Saturday. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+. The Miners are currently 14-15 overall and 5-9 in conference play and coming off a win over Jacksonville State Thursday night. It was UTEP’s first win on the road this season.

LET IT FLY

Liberty’s first seven attempted field goals on the evening were all from behind the arc. The team would finish the game 14 of 28 from three-point range, hitting at a 50% clip.

Four different Flames made a triple on the night led by Rode’s 7 of 11 shooting as he tied his career high for made threes in a game. Colin Porter was 3 for 5 from three while Kaden Metheny and Brody Peebles were each 2 of 5 from distance.

Liberty hasn’t been shy about shooting the deep ball this season and much of their time under Coach McKay. Many times McKay highlights the team taking what the defense gives them and that was the case on Thursday against NMSU.

“I feel like it’s part of our makeup,” McKay said. “We are an unselfish team. We don’t care who gets the shine. We play for one another and we play for a bigger purpose. We play in such a way that we take what the defense gives us. There are nights when we don’t have to shoot that many threes, but tonight it was open.”

CLEVELAND WITH BIG NIGHT

Liberty forward Zach Cleveland struggled last time out at FIU, perhaps being hobbled by an injury suffered underneath the basket late in the first half. The sophomore proved he was fine in helping lead the Flames to the win over the Aggies.

Cleveland finished the night with 22 points on 11 of 15 shooting to go along with 7 rebounds and 6 assists. It was one of his more efficient and productive nights this season.

“He was really selfless tonight,” McKay said. “I know the 22 points when get you the attention, but he just wanted to win the game and he was taking what the defense gave him. He’s an all-conference player. I think his contributions to what we do is significant to our cause.”

DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT

Against FIU last week, Liberty was unable to slow down the attacking guards as they got into the paint and scored 44 points in the lane. On Thursday night against New Mexico State, the Flames slowed down the Aggies, holding them to 40.6% from the field, a number that was below 40 and even 30 percent much of the evening. NMSU only shot 29.4% from three, making just 5 of 17.

Despite being outsized, Liberty dominated the glass, 40-25, while also outscoring the Aggies in the paint, 34-30, and in second chance points, 16-8.

“I thought our guys were really intentional in practice this week,” said McKay. “We knew that had to get a little bit better and it did. I think if we can keep improving on the defensive end, I think there are nights we are a tough out because of the versatility our team has.”