The Liberty Flames secured a hard-fought 77-75 victory over the New Mexico State Aggies, with JJ Harper leading the way with 19 points. This win improves Liberty's record to 21-3, while New Mexico State falls to 11-13. The Flames' 47-point second half was crucial in securing the win, outscoring the Aggies by 4 points in the period. Liberty's balanced attack saw three players score in double figures, including Kaden Metheny with 18 points and Zach Cleveland with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Liberty Flames' Zach Cleveland Grabs 14 Rebounds in 77-75 Win
The game was closely contested throughout, with the New Mexico State Aggies taking a 32-30 lead into halftime. However, the Liberty Flames came out strong in the second half, scoring 47 points to take the lead and ultimately secure the win. The Aggies' Jemel Jones had a game-high 23 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the balanced attack of the Flames. New Mexico State's Julius Mims also had a strong performance, scoring 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. The Aggies' 43-point second half was notable, but the Flames' ability to score 47 points in the period was the difference. At one point, Liberty went on a 10-2 run, which gave them a 60-55 lead with 8:45 remaining in the game.
The top performers for both teams were impressive, with JJ Harper leading the Liberty Flames with 19 points. Kaden Metheny and Zach Cleveland also had strong games, scoring 18 and 15 points, respectively. For the New Mexico State Aggies, Jemel Jones had a game-high 23 points, while Julius Mims scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Chris Terrell also contributed for the Aggies, scoring 12 points and dishing out 6 assists. The Flames' balanced attack saw five players score at least 8 points, including Harper, Metheny, Cleveland, and two other players who scored 9 points each.
CHD Scout Report Card
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Final
The Liberty Flames shot 45.5% from the field, including 35.7% from three-point range. The New Mexico State Aggies shot 41.9% from the field, but only 26.3% from three-point range. The Flames outrebounded the Aggies 38-35, with Zach Cleveland grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds. The Aggies committed 12 turnovers, while the Flames had 10 turnovers. The Flames also had a significant advantage in bench scoring, outscoring the Aggies 20-10. In terms of free throw shooting, the Flames shot 75% from the line, while the Aggies shot 68.8%.
The CHD Scout prediction model correctly predicted a Liberty Flames victory, with a predicted score of 72-75. The actual score was 77-75, with the Flames winning by 2 points. The predicted margin was 2.9 points, which was close to the actual margin of 2 points. The model correctly identified the Flames as the stronger team, with a NET ranking of 78 compared to the Aggies' NET ranking of 184. The model also correctly predicted that the game would be closely contested, with both teams scoring in the 70s.
This win improves the Liberty Flames' record to 21-3, with a NET ranking of 78. The New Mexico State Aggies fall to 11-13, with a NET ranking of 184. This game was a Quadrant 3 game for both teams, with the Flames securing a valuable road win. The win also improves the Flames' Quadrant 3 record to 5-2, while the Aggies fall to 2-5 in Quadrant 3 games. In terms of tournament implications, the Flames are likely to be a high seed in the NCAA tournament, while the Aggies must win their conference tournament to secure a bid.
The Liberty Flames will next face the Belmont Bruins on February 15, while the New Mexico State Aggies will face the Grand Canyon Antelopes on February 14. Both games matters in determining the teams' conference standings and tournament seeding.