KANSAS STATE VS LIBERTY

PHOTO BY: @billkiser / @vidaily.news

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, St. Thomas – Colin Porter scored a game-high 17 points, Isaiah Ihnen added 16, and Kaden Metheny chipped in 13 as the Liberty Flames (6-1) picked up a 67-65 win over Kansas State (5-1) in the semifinal of the 2024 Paradise Jam.

Liberty advances to play McNeese in the Paradise Jam championship game at 9 p.m. on Monday, while K-State faces Longwood in the third-place game at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

In a tightly contested first half, there were five ties and seven lead changes. The largest lead of the half was a five-point Kansas State advantage (29-24) with 3:52 remaining in the opening half, however, Liberty held the Wildcats scoreless down the stretch and scored the final eight points of the half to claim a three-point (32-29) advantage at the break.

The Flames pushed the lead to eight points (41-33) four minutes into the second half but the Wildcats charged back, knotting the game 50-50 at the 9:32 mark on a 3-pointer by Brendan Hausen. Liberty answered with a three of their own, as Jayvon Maughmer’s second-chance bucket gave the Flames the lead once again. K-State knotted the game again at 55-55 on another 3-pointer by Hausen with 7:29 remaining, and the Wildcats claimed their first lead of the second half at 63-62 with 2:31 to play on a jumper by Achor Achor.

Again, Liberty answered, as Colin Porter buried a long 3-pointer on the subsequent possession to give the Flames a 65-63 advantage. The Wildcats had multiple opportunities to tie the contest or win the game on the final possession, but none of K-State’s shots fell and the Flames escaped with the win.

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