Flames are too hot to handle: Liberty cruises past UTEP in CUSA quarterfinals

In a commanding performance on Wednesday night, the top-seeded Liberty University Men’s Basketball team defeated the No. 8 seed University of Texas at El Paso Miners 81-60 in the Conference USA (CUSA) Tournament quarterfinals held at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama.  

“First of all, tip your cap to Liberty,” UTEP Head Coach Joe Golding said. “They’ve got a terrific ball club; they are really good. Somebody’s going to have to play really, really well to beat them in Huntsville. It just got away from us (tonight).”  

The Flames got to work down low and from beyond the arc as they hit three 2-point shots and a 3-pointer in the game’s first five minutes. The first two baskets were made by redshirt senior guard Jayvon Maughmer and the second two were made by junior forward Zach Cleveland. Maughmer finished the day with 12 points and six rebounds while Cleveland added 19 points and six assists.  

The Miners, however, came out with some intensity and boosted the score to 18-16 after junior guard Devon Barnes converted on a four-point play just past the midpoint of the first half. Barnes increased the Miners’ stride as he scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half.  This did not shake Liberty as the team quickly tied the game at the 8:23 mark and started a 10-0 run that was headlined by the “1-2 punch,” redshirt senior guard Kaden Metheny and junior guard Colin Porter, as they both hit 3-pointers during the run.  

By halftime, Liberty held a double-digit lead 36-26, allowing Liberty Head Coach Ritchie McKay to rotate the bench in and out to keep players fresh for the rest of the tournament. This depth proved to be important, as the Flames desperately missed that last year when they were up by double-digits midway through the second half during the CUSA tournament against the Miners.  

“We have a different team,” McKay said. “We have older guys from last year’s group that logged some heavy minutes. … They’re better. I think the newcomers that we have added make us a little more competitive. With this group’s maturity … they don’t get too high; they don’t get too low. … They appropriate their faith into their person and into their game. … I think it’s special have a chance to be around a group like this.”  

Redshirt senior guard Taelon Peter was a key factor for the Flames’ dominant second half, scoring 11 of his 14 total points after the break. Liberty’s balanced scoring attack, led by Cleveland and Metheny, kept UTEP on its heels. The Flames shot 58.2% from the field and 48% from beyond the arc while the Miners struggled from the field, hitting 36.2% on shot attempts.  

“They’re just really tough to guard when it snowballs,” Golding said. “They shot it at an elite level tonight. They shot 48% from 3. … They moved the basketball. They had 25 assists. … The first half didn’t go as planned, but I still thought we had a chance. … It was the first five or six minutes of the second half, they came out, and they blitzed us.”  

Liberty shot well from both beyond the 3-point line and down low in the paint. The Flames scored 38 points inside the paint and added 36 more from behind the 3-point line. Liberty also racked up 25 assists due to its great ball movement, hard cuts to the basket and relentless work on the boards, which created second-chance opportunities.  

“We had a lot of hard cuts to the basket,” Cleveland said. “Sometimes you cut but not with the right intent, but we were making hard cuts to the basket which really opened up things. When you’ve got a team full of unselfish guys who (don’t) care who scores, that shows why we had that many assists.” 

In the final minutes, Liberty maintained control, ultimately closing the game out with a 21-point margin. Liberty will play in Friday’s semifinal game at 12:30 p.m. EST against Kennesaw State University. The game can be streamed on CBS Sports Network. 

Clingman is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.