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A lengthy first-half scoring drought set Liberty behind the 8-ball, and Jacksonville State went on to hold the Flames to a season-low 51 points in a 61-51 win on Wednesday.
Liberty (11-6, 0-2 C-USA) led 14-8 with 10:40 to play in the first half, but endured a stretch of 7:29 without scoring a point.
Jackonsville State (10-7, 2-0 C-USA) capitalized with a 12-0 run during that stretch before a Kyle Rode three trimmed the Gamecocks’ lead to 20-17.
Jax State finished the half by scoring six of the final 10 points to take a 26-21 lead at the break, and led 40-31 at the 11:37 mark before going on a 9-3 spur to open up its biggest lead of the game, 49-34 with 8:44 left.
KyKy Tandy closed out the run with a three, followed by a pair of free throws for the 15-point lead.
Liberty got as close as seven, 55-48, with 59.5 seconds left following a Colin Porter three-pointer, but the Gamecocks sealed the game by going 4-of-4 from the foul line down the stretch.
Kaden Metheny paced the Flames with a game-high 15 points. Rode added 12 points.
“Jax State played a terrific game. They deserved to win,” Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said. “I’m really impressed with the change they made from one season to the next. They have a connected team that presents a lot of problems with their length and athleticism. Between Alabama, them (Jax State) and Western Kentucky, we’ve faced some really hot teams. Sometimes it’s how it falls on the schedule. When we’re not making threes and they’re scoring close at the rim, it doesn’t look so good. Jax State made it hard on us, but other teams have made it hard on us in the past.”
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Chris Graham
