Liberty Men’s Basketball splits series in Field of 68 tournament
The Liberty University Men’s Basketball team traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, for the Field of 68 Media Network Tip-Off. The mini-tournament was a two-game, round-robin event where the Flames faced Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Nov. 16 and this year’s host, the College of Charleston Cougars, Nov. 17.
Head Coach Ritchie McKay and the Flames split the weekend bouts with the two mid-major powerhouses, falling to FAU 77-74 in overtime and wiping the Cougars off their home court 68-47.
Saturday’s game against FAU was a battle of the Flames’ offensive fluidity against the Owls’ gargantuan size. The game began with a jump ball won by FAU’s Lithuanian 7-foot tall, freshman Matas Vokietaitis, who also scored the game’s first basket. Two possessions later, the Flames found their first bucket of the game after a Vokietaitis turnover that led to a dunk by junior forward Zach Cleveland.
Cleveland opened up the scoring for the Flames, but it was the three-point prowess of redshirt senior guard Kaden Metheny, redshirt junior forwards Isaiah Ihnen and Zander Yates that gave the Flames a 22-10 lead eight minutes into the tournament.
FAU rallied around its size advantage, shrinking the Flames’ lead basket by basket in the waning moments of the first half. With around three minutes remaining in the half, 25 of the Owls’ 29 points had been scored by players standing 6’6” or taller, statistically proving the Flames’ struggled with FAU’s length. The half ended with the Flames holding a slim 42-39 lead, but the team struggled to maintain momentum.
The second half of the game looked less like fireworks and more like a heavyweight brawl, with neither side holding more than a five-point lead. The Flames were in control for most of the half until the Owls brought the game to a tie with just over six minutes remaining in regulation. On the next possession, the Owls took their first lead since the score was 4-2. Neither team could claim an edge over the other in the gritty final minutes, sending the game to overtime.
In extra time, the Owls and the Flames continued to vie for an edge over the other, and it wasn’t until FAU took a one-point lead with just over a minute left to play that the game swayed in either teams’ favor. The basket by sophomore guard Kaleb Glenn gave the Owls the foothold they needed over the Flames, and after a minute of fouls, free throws and failed attempts by Liberty, FAU claimed the victory, 77-74.
The second game of the weekend tournament looked like it would be more of the same for both the Flames and the Cougars, who were both coming off of overtime outings against FAU, the difference being that the Cougars hit their game-winning three giving them the 119-116 win on Friday night.
The Flames yet again jumped out to a quick lead, scoring the first five points of the game and claiming a 10-4 lead just four minutes into the first half. Charleston responded with a run of its own, and after a few minutes of back-and-forth action, the first half ended with a 29-29 tie.
Charleston’s TD Arena was rocking as the second half began, and Cleveland got to work on the court. The Flames forward scored the first seven points of the second half. This run added to Cleveland’s four points from end the first half, which gave him sole credit for 11 straight points for Liberty. Cleveland’s takeover led the Flames to rip the game away from the Cougars as they jumped out to a massive lead. Just over halfway through the second half, the Flames had outscored the Cougars 23-4 in the half.
“I think he saw a matchup that he liked,” McKay said after the Charleston game. “But Zach’s capable of that. And when you have the offensive prowess that he does, but you have a selfless disposition, it’s a really nice thing to have in your arsenal. And again, we’ve got a group of guys that I think care more about making the right play than making their play.”
The lead was insurmountable for the home team, and the Flames left Charleston having claimed their first win in the Field of 68 Tip-Off event, which is in its second year.
“So you know, when you play against FAU and Charleston, both those teams are so explosive offensively, you can’t; you gotta make them earn it,” McKay said. “You can’t beat yourself in those games. And if they’re playing the transition baskets because you turn it over a lot, or if they’re playing three on twos and four on threes, you’re in trouble.”
Next season FAU and Charleston will make their way to the Liberty Mountain for the third and final year of the event.
Next up for the Flames will be a flight to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam tournament where they’ll play the Louisiana Rajin’ Cajuns Nov. 22 at 5:30 p.m.
Palsgrove is the graduating sports editor for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on X.
