WKU Men’s Basketball struggled to sink shots all Saturday afternoon, falling flat against the Liberty Flames in a 90-61 loss at Diddle Arena.
As a team, WKU shot just 33% from the field and 28% from beyond the arc. Senior guard Don McHenry, who had 14 points, and senior guard Khristian Lander, who had 18 points, led the Hilltoppers.
Liberty led by 27 at halftime and their lead only grew in the second half, taking a 36-point lead with 4:49 to play in the game.
“When we tried to attack the rim, they were blocking us and keeping us out of the paint,” Head Coach Hank Plona said. “When they tried to attack the rim, they were getting all the way to the basket.”
Jayvon Maughmer and Taelon Peter led the Flames with 21 each. As a team, they shot 52% from the field and 47% from beyond the arc. The Flames played an unselfish brand of basketball, with 22 assists on the afternoon.
“They’re very versatile and they hit shots tonight,” graduate guard Jalen Jackson said. “They hit a lot of shots.”
First Half
The Hilltoppers drew first blood on a layup from Braxton Bayless but heading into the media timeout, the Flames led 11-4.
Plona called a timeout as the Hilltoppers trailed 18-8 with 12:43 to play in the half. The Flames had connected on six of their last seven field goal attempts.
In the 47 seconds between Plona’s timeout and the 12-minute media timeout, McHenry cut into the Flames lead with a jumper but Liberty responded with a 3-pointer from Zach Cleveland. The Flames led 21-10 with 12 minutes left in the half.
Plona called another timeout with 9:42 to play in the half. The Hilltoppers trailed 27-10 as Liberty went on a 9-0 run. With nine minutes left in the half, the Hilltoppers were just 4-20 from the field.
With 7:54 remaining, Lander hit a corner 3-pointer ending Liberty’s 12-0 run that lasted four minutes. The Hilltoppers trailed 30-13.
Heading into the seven-minute media timeout the Flames led 34-13, shooting 59% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc.
Tyrone Marshall Jr. hit a layup with 3:23 left in the half ending an 11-0 run from the Flames. The Flames led 41-15 at the three-minute timeout.
In the last eight minutes of the half, the Hilltoppers scored just 12 points to the Flames 28. Liberty took a 49-22 lead into halftime.
Through the first half, McHenry, who had 12 points, was the only Hilltopper with more than three points. The Hilltoppers shot 8-35 and the Flames shot 18-37 in the first half.
Second Half
The Hilltoppers cut the Flames lead by one through the first four and a half minutes of the second half. The Flames led 54-31 with 15:37 to play.
The Flames opened up their lead to 29, leading 65-36 with 12:19 left. Lander hit a layup making the score 65-38 at the 12-minute media timeout.
The Flames took a 33-point lead, their largest of the afternoon, into the 7:25 media timeout.
At the three-minute media timeout, the Flames led 83-48.
Senior guard Tyler Olden gave the fans something to cheer about with a 3-pointer with a minute left to play but the Hilltoppers trailed 88-58.
The Flames defeated the Hilltoppers 90-61.
The Hilltoppers are now locked into the No. 7 seed of the Conference USA Tournament in Huntsville, Alabama. The loss closes out the regular season as WKU finished with an 8-10 conference record and an overall record of 17-14.
Sports Reporter Nathan Mueller can be reached at [email protected].