Jax State men: Liberty pulls away late to clinch regular-season CUSA championship
Jacksonville State went toe-to-toe with league leader Liberty for much of Saturday’s contest, but the Flames were the better basketball team down the stretch.
Liberty clinched the Conference USA regular-season championship with an 81-78 victory over the Gamecocks at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Jax State senior Mostapha El Moutaouakkil knocked down two free throws with 5:03 remaining to give the Gamecocks a 65-63 advantage, but Liberty responded with a 10-0 run. Zach Cleveland and Kaden Metheny converted layups on consecutive possessions, and Brett Decker Jr. and Metheny capped the surge with back-to-back 3-pointers.
The Flames led 81-73 with nine seconds remaining, but the Gamecocks scored five points in the final five seconds to set the final score. True freshman Jacoby Hill buried a 3-pointer with four seconds left, and after Colin Porter committed a turnover, El Moutaouakkil trimmed the deficit to three with a layup with two ticks remaining.
Jax State led 34-27 at halftime, but Liberty outscored the Gamecocks 54-44 after the break. Veteran head coach Ray Harper said the Flames' ability to get downhill and attack the rim in the second half made the difference. Liberty finished the game with 34 points in the paint.
"We weren't as alert in the second half as we were in the first half, and they made us pay," Harper said before adding that his team’s second-half shot selection also played a role in the outcome.
"That got us," he said. "Anytime our shot selection starts being a little iffy, it turns into easy baskets at the other end.
"That's what happened in the second half. A lot."
El Moutaouakkil led Jax State with 21 points and six rebounds.
Four other Gamecocks scored in double figures. Hill was Jax State’s second-leading scorer with 16 points. Senior Jamar Franklin made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points. Graduate student Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. and junior Emondrek Erkins-Ford scored 10 points apiece.
Sophomore Jaye Nash finished with four points and four rebounds. He led the team with five assists and two steals. Junior Iaroslav Niagu scored four points and pulled down five rebounds.
Metheny drilled six 3-pointers to lead Liberty with 24 points. Decker made four shots from beyond the arc and finished with 16 points. Porter and Cleveland scored 12 points apiece.
Jax State fell to 14-15 overall and 9-9 in CUSA play. The Gamecocks, who dropped into a three-way tie with Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee for fifth place in the league standings, have already secured a spot in the conference tournament in Huntsville. The top 10 teams make the field with the top six receiving a first-round bye.
Jax State will close out the regular season next week with a two-game road trip. The Gamecocks will face New Mexico State on Thursday at 8 p.m. and UTEP on Saturday at 2 p.m.
"The only thing we're assured of is being in the tournament," Harper said. "Is that as a 10 seed, nine seed, eight seed, four? I don't know, but we can't worry about that. What we've got to worry about is having a good week of practice and getting ready for New Mexico State on Thursday."
