A scorching 59% 3-point shooting mark from the Liberty Flames extinguished WKU Men’s Basketball, falling 76-69 at Diddle Arena Wednesday night.

After a difficult night against Kennesaw State, sophomore guard Teagan Moore scored 19 points on 63% shooting to keep the Hilltoppers in the game. Freshman guard Armelo Boone added 13 points and 13 rebounds.

The Hilltoppers shot just 42% in the paint, the first time WKU shot less than 50% from inside the arc this season.

Liberty’s explosive offense showed up from the jump, shooting 71% from the field in the first five minutes to build a 15-2 lead. The Hilltoppers responded with a 14-0 run over the next four minutes to take their first lead of the game.

“When you’re playing a championship team, you can’t get deflated,” head coach Hank Plona said. “I like that we bounced back after a rough start.”

The Flames’ 53% 3-point shooting in the first half flipped the script, powering a 35-32 lead at halftime.

The Flames’ success from behind the arc continued in the second half, shooting an unreal 66%. The Hilltoppers struggled to find an offensive rhythm, going almost six minutes without scoring a basket as Liberty built a 54-41 lead.

The Hilltoppers heated up in the final 10 minutes, shooting 50% from deep to close the gap to just three points, but an illegal screen on a potential game-tying 3-pointer by senior guard Ryan Myers ended any chance of a comeback.

“The loss to Tulsa was tough, I thought that illegal screen was pretty blatant,” Plona said. “This game was very rough. You don’t see that call made very often; it was a very physical game.”

The Hilltoppers look to snap a two-game losing streak as they head to Huntsville to take on the Sam Houston Bearkats on Jan. 24.