Kansas State Wildcats vs Liberty Flames
Porter scores 17, Ihnen 16 to help Liberty beat Kansas St. 69-67 in Paradise Jam semis
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
Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands
Referee:Steven Perry
Referee:Trey Styons
Referee:Adam Flore
2025-26 Standings
| Conference USAConference USA | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 15-1 | - | 23-4 |
| Sam Houston | 11-5 | 4 | 19-8 |
| Western Kentucky | 9-7 | 6 | 16-11 |
| Kennesaw State | 8-8 | 7 | 16-11 |
| Louisiana Tech | 8-8 | 7 | 15-12 |
| Jacksonville State | 8-8 | 7 | 13-14 |
| Middle Tennessee | 7-9 | 8 | 13-14 |
| Missouri State | 7-9 | 8 | 13-14 |
| New Mexico State | 6-10 | 9 | 13-13 |
| Florida International | 6-10 | 9 | 13-14 |
| UTEP | 6-10 | 9 | 10-17 |
| Delaware | 5-11 | 10 | 9-18 |
| Big 12 ConferenceBig 12 Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 13-2 | - | 26-2 |
| Iowa State | 11-4 | 2 | 24-4 |
| Houston | 11-4 | 2 | 23-5 |
| Kansas | 11-4 | 2 | 21-7 |
| Texas Tech | 11-4 | 2 | 21-7 |
| BYU | 8-6 | 4.5 | 20-7 |
| UCF | 8-6 | 4.5 | 19-7 |
| TCU | 8-7 | 5 | 18-10 |
| West Virginia | 7-8 | 6 | 16-12 |
| Cincinnati | 7-8 | 6 | 15-13 |
| Colorado | 5-9 | 7.5 | 15-12 |
| Oklahoma State | 5-10 | 8 | 17-11 |
| Arizona State | 5-10 | 8 | 14-14 |
| Baylor | 4-11 | 9 | 14-14 |
| Kansas State | 2-12 | 10.5 | 11-16 |
| Utah | 2-13 | 11 | 10-18 |
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