ROANOKE, Va. – Zach Cleveland scored 20 points to guide Liberty past Kennesaw State 81-73 on Friday night.
Cleveland also had seven rebounds and three blocks for the Flames (10-3, 2-0 Conference USA). Colin Porter added 18 points and Brett Decker Jr. scored 13.
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The Owls (8-5, 0-2) were led in scoring by Simeon Cottle, who finished with 22 points, four assists and three steals. Ramone Seals added 13 points and nine rebounds. Braedan Lue had 11 points and nine rebounds.
Liberty took the lead for good with 19:46 to go in the first half. The score was 46-33 at halftime, with Cleveland racking up 11 points. Liberty turned a one-point second-half lead into an eight-point advantage with a 7-0 run to make it a 60-52 lead with 8:08 left in the half. Porter scored 10 second-half points in the game.
The Liberty women’s program earned a gutsy 67-62 road win at New Mexico State. Avery Mills led the team with 25 points as the Flames used an 11-0 fourth quarter run to surge to the victory.