Liberty Men’s Basketball Beats Carolina University 81-45 In First Home Game

The Liberty Flames Men’s Basketball team returned to the Liberty Arena for its first home basketball game Tuesday. The Flames dominated from start to finish as they defeated the Carolina University Bruins 81-45.  

“First time playing here was exciting,” freshman guard Brett Decker Jr. said. “I’ve been committed for three years so getting to play was exciting. I loved it here.”  

Since the start of the 2024-2025 season, Head Coach Ritchie McKay and the Flames have been rolling. After picking up their first win of the year 83-63 against Valparaiso University, Liberty squeezed out a late win 66-64 against Seattle University thanks to a game-winning 3-pointer from redshirt senior guard Kaden Metheny.  

Newcomer junior forward Owen Aquino secured the opening tip, and the Flames were out and running. Junior guard Colin Porter carved up the Bruins’ defense early, finding redshirt senior guard Taelon Peter twice and connecting on a full-court lob to junior forward Zach Cleveland. In the blink of an eye, Liberty jumped to a 7-0 lead.  

On the other side of the floor, Liberty excelled defensively. In the first four minutes of play, the Flames forced six Carolina turnovers and jumped to a 14-0 lead. Scoring off turnovers proved to be vital as Liberty finished the night with 31 points off of 25 turnovers by the Bruins.  

While Carolina eventually found its footing offensively, it would not be enough to keep up with the Flames. The game was an 81-45 blowout, and nearly everyone on the Liberty roster performed on a high level.  

Despite facing several double teams throughout the game, Cleveland starred for Liberty. In only 17 minutes, the junior forward finished the night with 7 points, 4 assists, and six rebounds, and a game-high plus-30 plus/minus. Cleveland also found his 500th career bucket this game. 

“The great thing about him is that he can really score, but he’s got a very unselfish disposition and approach to it,” McKay said postgame. “I think he was just trying to be really intentional about some of the guys … seeing if we could get them ready for a really hard stretch.” 

Along with Cleveland, Decker was a leader for the Flames as he was the leading scorer with 18 points. Decker, the 6-foot-3 player from Cecilia, Kentucky, knocked four 3-pointers and scored on all four of his free throw attempts.  

Decker finished his debut at the Liberty Arena with a vicious one hand dunk late in the second half.  

“I was talking to our assistant coach, Steve, and I told him that I was going to get a dunk this game,” Decker said. “I was thinking on that drive that I was going to lay it up, but I can’t. So, I just dunked it.” 

The Liberty Arena crowd was electric all night, but one player in particular drew more energy from the crowd than the rest. Freshman center Kai Yu received a standing ovation when he checked into the game, and there was a loud “Kai Yuuuuuuuuu” chant during each of his five trips to the free throw line.  

Nicknamed “big fella,” standing at 7-feet-tall, and originally from Guangdong, China, Yu finished with 7 points and 6 rebounds in only 12 minutes of action. Poised for a breakout year, Yu has already become a fan favorite among the Liberty fanbase.  

The 36-point victory puts the Flames in at 3-0 going into a tough upcoming slate. Liberty will hit the road for a two-game stretch against two of the nation’s premier mid-major programs, Florida Atlantic University on Nov. 16 and College of Charleston on Nov. 17. The games will be aired on YouTube.