Porter scores 17, Ihnen 16 to help Liberty beat Kansas St. 69-67 in Paradise Jam semis
Colin Porter's clutch 3 puts Liberty ahead for good
Colin Porter's clutch 3 puts Liberty ahead for good
SAINT THOMAS, Virgin Islands -- — Colin Porter scored 17 points, Isaiah Ihnen added 16 on 7-of-12 shooting Sunday night and Liberty held off Kansas State for a 69-67 win in the semifinals of the Paradise Jam.
Kaden Metheny scored 13 points for the Flames. Zach Cleveland scored two points on 0-of-8 shooting but finished with nine rebounds and eight assists.
Brendan Hausen hit a jumper and Achor Achor scored in the paint to give Kansas State (4-2) a 63-62 lead with 2:31 to play. Porter answered with a 3-pointer 16 seconds later and Liberty led the rest of the way.
Owen Aquino hit two free throws to give the Flames a four-point lead with 50 seconds remaining and Coleman Hawkins scored in the lane to cut it to 67-65 just eight seconds later. After Metheny missed a layup on the other end, Dug McDaniel missed a clean look at a 3-point shot from the left wing, David N’Guessan missed a putback attempt and McDaniel missed a heave from 3-point range at the buzzer.
Hausen scored 14 points and Hawkins added 11 for Kansas State. N’Guessan and Achor scored 10 points apiece.
Liberty (6-1) plays McNeese in the championship, and the Wildcats take on Longwood in the third-place game, on Monday.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Steven Perry
- Trey Styons
- Adam Flore
2024-25 Conference USA Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Jacksonville State | 10-3 | - | 18-8 |
Liberty | 9-4 | 1 | 21-5 |
Middle Tennessee | 8-4 | 1.5 | 17-8 |
UTEP | 7-5 | 2.5 | 17-8 |
Kennesaw State | 7-6 | 3 | 15-11 |
New Mexico State | 6-6 | 3.5 | 13-12 |
Louisiana Tech | 6-7 | 4 | 17-9 |
Western Kentucky | 5-7 | 4.5 | 14-11 |
Sam Houston | 3-10 | 7 | 10-16 |
Florida International | 2-11 | 8 | 8-18 |
2024-25 Big 12 Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Houston | 13-1 | - | 21-4 |
Arizona | 12-3 | 1.5 | 18-8 |
Texas Tech | 11-3 | 2 | 20-5 |
Iowa State | 10-4 | 3 | 20-5 |
BYU | 8-6 | 5 | 17-8 |
Kansas | 8-6 | 5 | 17-8 |
Baylor | 8-7 | 5.5 | 16-10 |
TCU | 7-7 | 6 | 14-11 |
Utah | 7-8 | 6.5 | 15-11 |
Kansas State | 7-8 | 6.5 | 13-13 |
West Virginia | 6-8 | 7 | 15-10 |
Cincinnati | 5-9 | 8 | 15-10 |
UCF | 4-10 | 9 | 13-12 |
Oklahoma State | 4-10 | 9 | 12-13 |
Arizona State | 3-11 | 10 | 12-13 |
Colorado | 1-13 | 12 | 10-15 |