Liberty defeats Dayton 61-64

Liberty Comes From Behind to Down Dayton 64-61 in Thrilling Non-Conference Showdown

In a dramatic turn of events, Liberty erased a 4-point halftime deficit to claim a hard-fought 64-61 victory over Dayton at the UD Arena on Saturday night.

The game saw both teams trading baskets and neither able to gain a significant advantage until late in the second half. With just over two minutes remaining, Dayton's Amaël L'Etang knocked down a pair of three-pointers to extend the Flyers' lead to 10 points. However, Liberty responded with a 7-0 run, capped off by Kaden Metheny's go-ahead jump shot with 45 seconds left.

Dayton pushed the ball up the court and had a chance to retake the lead, but Keonte Jones was fouled and missed both free throws. Liberty secured the rebound and Metheny converted one of two to push the Flames' lead to three points.

Dayton's L'Etang scored again on a layup with 10 seconds remaining, putting the Flyers back up by four. However, Zach Cleveland responded with a crucial steal at half court, allowing Liberty to inbound the ball before Metheny sank a deep three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to seal the comeback victory.

Liberty outshot Dayton 48.0% to 38.0%, while the Flames held a slight edge in rebounding, 28-37. The game's true shooting percentages reflected this: Liberty shot 55.6% and Dayton 51.2%.

For Dayton, Amaël L'Etang paced the Flyers with 19 points on 4-8 three-point shooting, while Keonte Jones added 9 points and 15 rebounds. For Liberty, Kaden Metheny led the Flames in scoring with 16 points, as did Zach Cleveland, who provided 12 points and seven assists.

The win marks a significant statement for the Flames in their non-conference schedule, while Dayton falls to 1-1 against unranked opponents this season.