Kaden Metheny scores 29, Liberty defeats Middle Tennessee 81-65

By Canadian Press on January 29, 2026.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — Kaden Metheny had 29 points in Liberty’s 81-65 win against Middle Tennessee on Thursday.

Metheny added five rebounds for the Flames (18-3, 10-0 Conference USA). Zach Cleveland added 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds. JJ Harper shot 5 of 8 from the field and 3 for 4 from the line to finish with 13 points. It was the 12th victory in a row for the Flames.

Torey Alston finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Blue Raiders (11-9, 5-4). Middle Tennessee also got 19 points from Sean Smith off the bench. Jahvin Carter finished with 10 points.

Liberty took the lead for good with 16:00 remaining in the first half. The score was 43-29 at halftime, with Metheny racking up 19 points. Liberty extended its lead to 70-52 during the second half, fueled by a 10-0 scoring run. Cleveland scored a team-high 12 points in the second half as their team closed out the win.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press