WKU Men’s Basketball used a late second-half surge Thursday, stealing a 71-70 road win at Liberty.
Down 12 with 5:32 remaining in the second half, guards Julius Thedford and Don McHenry led a WKU comeback. McHenry scored off a driving layup, a step-back three, another driving layup that resulted in an and-one and another layup that made it a one-point game.
A Thedford layup gave WKU their first lead since the first half. Tied at 67, Thedford knocked down a clutch step-back three giving WKU a 70-67 lead.
With five seconds remaining, WKU’s in-bound pass was overthrown and taken by Liberty, but they missed the game-winning three as time expired, sealing the comeback win for WKU.
Thedford finished the game as WKU’s leading scorer with 18 points and five rebounds. McHenry scored 12 points and grabbed six boards. Senior forward Tyrone Marshall Jr. added 12 points and eight rebounds.
WKU outrebounded Liberty 27-18 and 11-4 on the offensive boards. They pulled out the win despite missing nine of their 19 free throw attempts.
The Hilltoppers made just eight field goals in the first half and shot 1-9 from beyond the arc. Nine WKU turnovers led to 11 Liberty points.
The Flames shot 45.5% from the field and only committed one turnover in the first half. They dominated the first half, leading for all but 47 seconds.
WKU shot 50% from the field in the second half and 50% from beyond the arc. They forced eight Liberty turnovers and held the Flames to just 12 made field goals.
The Hilltoppers will travel to Miami, Florida to take on FIU on Saturday, Jan. 6.
First Half
WKU won the jumpball. Liberty opened with the first bucket at the 19:08 mark. The Hilltoppers tied it up, but the Flames jumped out 7-2 with 16:55 remaining. The Flames went up 17-7 with 11 minutes remaining in the quarter.
Liberty stayed ahead by double digits all game. A three-point basket put them up 33-17 with two minutes remaining until halftime. A tip-in layup and a pair of free throws put the Hilltoppers within 12, but a buzzer-beating hook shot by the Flames put them ahead 35-21 heading into halftime.
Second Half
A tip-in layup at the 19:35 mark for WKU opened the scoring in the second half. A 6-0 WKU run cut the lead to 10 at the 16-minute mark. The Flames ended a three-minute scoring drought, but a WKU and-one cut the lead to nine.
The Hilltoppers made it an eight-point game with 10:59 remaining in the game, but an 8-2 Liberty run brought the score to 51-37.
WKU mounted a 13-4 run, putting them within three with three minutes remaining. A driving layup by Thedford gave WKU their first lead since early in the first quarter. A pair of Liberty free throws tied the game at 67.
With 32 seconds left, Thedford knocked down a step-back three giving WKU the three-point lead. After WKU made one of two free throws at the 17-second mark, Liberty answered with a step-back three with six seconds remaining.
The WKU inbound was overthrown intended for McHenry and stolen by Liberty. The Flames had a chance to win with a game-winning three, but it rimmed out.
Sports Reporter Michael Givner Jr. can be reached at [email protected]
