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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Kaden Metheny scored 21 points and Taelon Peter added 20, and top-seeded Liberty pulled away early in the second half to beat No. 2 seed Jacksonville State 79-67 on Saturday night for its first Conference USA tournament title. Liberty, in its second season as a member of CUSA, clinched its sixth NCAA tournament berth in program history and its first since the Flames won the ASUN Conference tournament in 2021. Jacksonville State trailed 39-35 one minute into the second half before the Flames pulled away on a 26-10 run for its largest lead, 65-45, with 7:24 remaining. Metheny scored eight points and Peter scored seven during the stretch. Peter's dunk capped the Flames scoring with about a minute left. Metheny shot 7-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-10 from long range. Peter was 7-of-7 shooting from the field that included three 3-pointers and was 3-of-4 from the foul line. Colin Porter added 13 points and Zach Cleveland had 10 for Liberty (28-6), which also made its second appearance in the CUSA title game. Jaron Pierre Jr. scored 19 points to lead Jacksonville State (22-12). Marcellus Brigham Jr. scored all 12 of his points in the second half and Quel'Ron House chipped in with 11 points. Metheny made three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the first half to help Liberty build a 37-33 advantage. Pierre shot 6-of-12 and scored 16 first-half points to pace Jacksonville State.
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