Men’s Basketball Wins Against Jacksonville State University 59-55

The Liberty University Men’s Basketball team triumphed over Jacksonville State University 59-55 Feb. 27 in the Liberty Arena to take the No. 1 spot in the Conference USA (CUSA) rankings. 

Jax State redshirt junior Mason Nicholson won the jump ball, and from there the Gamecocks built a 5-0 lead, locking down on Liberty’s offense. The Flames, despite starting on the backfoot, quickly came back and put two points on the board when junior forward Zach Cleveland dribbled his way into the paint. Jax State’s defense drew toward Cleveland, who passed the ball to fellow junior forward Owen Aquino to score a layup. The crowd roared as the Flames ran back on defense recharged.  

After a free throw by Cleveland later in the frame, Jax State failed to get a shot up before the shot clock ran out. Redshirt senior guard Jayvon Maughmer ran down the middle of the court and made a jumper to tie the game 5-5. He was assisted by Cleveland on the drive.  

The game remained tied, but with 12:41 left in the half, redshirt junior forward Zander Yates broke the stalemate with a 3-pointer, assisted by junior guard Colin Porter. Porter later dribbled his way through Jax State traffic to score another layup for Liberty.  

After the Gamecocks scored, redshirt senior guard Taelon Peter secured a layup, raising the score to 14-9. The Flames took advantage of a lull in the Gamecocks’ defense and pulled away from the competition.
Porter, Cleveland and redshirt senior guard Kaden Metheny put up shot after shot to bring the score to 21-11. Jax State put another two points on the board after that, to which Metheny responded with a 3-pointer, assisted by Porter. After more baskets from both teams, the period ended with the Flames leading 31-16. 

“I was proud of our group though,” Head Coach Ritchie McKay said. “I thought we were hard to play against for the most part. Really good defensive effort, and unlike the last time we played them, we didn’t let offensive woes affect our commitment on the defensive end.” 

The Flames brought the heat and momentum to begin the second half. The Gamecocks put one up, but Aquino rebounded the ball and passed it to Porter to make a 3-pointer early in the period to ignite the roar of the fans. Cleveland rode the hype train from that moment and dribbled his way into the paint to make a reverse layup.  

Soon after, Jax State missed a shot, and Cleveland secured the defensive rebound and sent the ball Metheny’s way to shoot a three. The fans erupted as the Flames poured on the power and both teams traded baskets for the next few minutes.  

At the 13:16 mark of the second, the Flames’ pump fakes allowed Porter to send the ball to Maughmer and score a three, making the score 44-29. Jax State’s defense scrambled, and the fans continued yelling in excitement. 

After a media timeout, the Gamecocks started mounting a comeback. Jax State’s redshirt senior guard Jaron Pierre Jr., redshirt sophomore guard Jao Ituka and sophomore guard Koree Cotton put up shots and slowly chipped away at the Flames’ lead. Baskets from Aquino, Porter, Cleveland, Metheny and Maughmer kept Liberty afloat, but by the final 30 seconds, Jax State caught up with the Flames holding a short 58-55 lead. The atmosphere on the court intensified for a thriller finish as the CUSA leaders clashed for the top spot in the conference.  

The Gamecocks pressured the Flames on their side, trying to force a mistake, but an opening allowed the Flames to get the ball onto their opponent’s side. A foul on Pierre allowed Maughmer to take a trip to the free-throw line. He went 1-2 on his free throw attempts, just enough to secure the win in the final 10 seconds. When the clock ran out, Liberty walked off the court sitting at the top spot in the CUSA.  

Warden is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.