Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Liberty Flames

Mar 5, 2026

FINAL

Box Score

	1	2	T
LT	45	31	76
LIB	40	31	71

Game Recap

Bates scores 34 as Louisiana Tech knocks off Liberty 76-71. AJ Bates' 34 points led Louisiana Tech over Liberty 76-71 on Thursday.

Player Stats

LOUISIANA TECH	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
5Avery Thomas II	40	6-9	0-3	0-0	7	1	1	1	0	3	12
21Melian Martinez	19	2-4	0-0	0-0	4	0	0	1	0	2	4
0DJ Dudley	17	4-8	1-3	0-0	2	3	0	0	1	1	9
4Jaylen Fenner	34	4-6	0-2	3-3	8	1	2	0	1	0	11
3AJ Bates	40	13-23	6-11	2-2	4	4	3	0	1	0	34
14Will Allen	21	1-4	0-1	0-0	2	2	0	0	1	3	2
11Kaden Cooper	29	2-7	0-3	0-0	6	3	1	0	2	2	4


TOTAL	-	32-6152.5%	7-2330.4%	5-5100%	33	14	7	2	6	11	76

LIBERTY	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
25Zach Cleveland	37	3-6	0-0	1-2	4	8	2	0	4	2	7
4Brett Decker Jr.	38	10-16	8-13	2-3	0	1	0	0	2	2	30
9JJ Harper	26	0-5	0-2	5-6	4	5	0	0	0	2	5
0Colin Porter	31	2-8	1-7	0-0	4	3	0	0	0	2	5
3Kaden Metheny	36	5-14	5-13	0-0	6	2	0	0	0	0	15
11Zander Yates	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
12Josh Smith	20	3-4	2-3	1-2	4	1	0	1	0	1	9
7Isaiah Ihnen	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1Zander Carter	9	0-2	0-1	0-0	2	0	0	0	1	1	0
TOTAL	-	23-5541.8%	16-3941.0%	9-1369.2%	25	20	2	1	7	10	71

Play-by-Play

Scores OnlyExpand All

1st halfLTLIB

(20:00) Start game.
(19:58) Jump Ball won by Louisiana Tech.
(19:58) Jump Ball lost by Liberty.
+2 (19:36) DJ Dudley makes 17-foot jumper.
20
+2 (19:19) Brett Decker Jr. makes layup (Zach Cleveland assists).
22
(18:50) Jaylen Fenner misses 26-foot three point jumper.
(18:49) Melian Martinez Offensive Rebound.
(18:49) Foul on JJ Harper.
(18:41) Foul on DJ Dudley.
(18:41) DJ Dudley turnover.
(18:24) JJ Harper misses 4-foot jumper.
(18:24) Avery Thomas II Block.
(18:24) Louisiana Tech Defensive Rebound.
+3 (17:56) AJ Bates makes 32-foot three point jumper (Avery Thomas II assists).
52
(17:20) JJ Harper misses 8-foot jumper.
(17:17) JJ Harper Offensive Rebound.
+3 (17:15) Brett Decker Jr. makes 23-foot three point jumper (JJ Harper assists).
55
+2 (16:50) AJ Bates makes 17-foot pullup jump shot.
75
(16:33) Zach Cleveland misses layup.
(16:29) Jaylen Fenner Defensive Rebound.
+2 (16:20) DJ Dudley makes 17-foot pullup jump shot.
95
(15:53) Kaden Metheny misses 24-foot three point jumper.
(15:49) Avery Thomas II Defensive Rebound.
+3 (15:39) AJ Bates makes 26-foot three point jumper (DJ Dudley assists).
125
(15:18) Zach Cleveland bad pass turnover.
(15:18) Jaylen Fenner Steal.
(15:14) Foul on JJ Harper.
+1 (15:14) Jaylen Fenner makes free throw 1 of 2.
135
+1 (15:14) Jaylen Fenner makes free throw 2 of 2.
145
+3 (14:59) Brett Decker Jr. makes 23-foot three point jumper (Zach Cleveland assists).
148
+2 (14:40) DJ Dudley makes driving layup.
168
+2 (14:27) Brett Decker Jr. makes driving layup.
1610
(14:27) Foul on Avery Thomas II.
(14:26) Brett Decker Jr. misses free throw 1 of 1.
(14:25) Jaylen Fenner Defensive Rebound.
(14:10) Melian Martinez misses layup.
(14:07) Kaden Metheny Defensive Rebound.
(13:58) Colin Porter misses 23-foot three point jumper.
(13:55) Jaylen Fenner Defensive Rebound.
(13:50) DJ Dudley misses 25-foot three point jumper.
(13:47) Kaden Metheny Defensive Rebound.
(13:27) Foul on Melian Martinez.
+1 (13:27) Zach Cleveland makes free throw 1 of 2.
1611
(13:26) Zach Cleveland misses free throw 2 of 2.
(13:25) Melian Martinez Defensive Rebound.
+3 (13:12) AJ Bates makes 25-foot three point jumper (DJ Dudley assists).
1911
(12:54) Zander Carter misses layup.
(12:54) Melian Martinez Block.
(12:49) Zander Carter Offensive Rebound.
(12:41) Kaden Metheny misses layup.
(12:39) Avery Thomas II Defensive Rebound.
(12:33) Avery Thomas II misses 26-foot three point jumper.
(12:30) Josh Smith Defensive Rebound.
(12:12) Brett Decker Jr. misses 22-foot three point jumper.
(12:09) Melian Martinez Defensive Rebound.
(11:56) AJ Bates misses layup.
(11:54) Melian Martinez Offensive Rebound.
+2 (11:53) Melian Martinez makes layup.
2111
+3 (11:32) Josh Smith makes 24-foot three point jumper (Zach Cleveland assists).
2114
(11:15) Melian Martinez misses 8-foot hook shot.
(11:12) Zach Cleveland Defensive Rebound.
+3 (10:56) Kaden Metheny makes 24-foot three point jumper (Zach Cleveland assists).
2117
(10:21) AJ Bates misses 30-foot three point jumper.
(10:21) Louisiana Tech Deadball Team Rebound.
(10:21) team shot clock turnover .
+3 (10:08) Brett Decker Jr. makes 24-foot three point jumper (Zach Cleveland assists).
2120
+2 (9:52) Kaden Cooper makes driving layup (AJ Bates assists).
2320
(9:25) Zach Cleveland bad pass turnover.
(9:25) AJ Bates Steal.
+2 (9:19) Kaden Cooper makes driving layup (DJ Dudley assists).
2520
(9:04) Zander Carter misses 23-foot three point jumper.
(9:00) Kaden Cooper Defensive Rebound.
(8:46) Avery Thomas II misses 24-foot three point jumper.
(8:42) Colin Porter Defensive Rebound.
+3 (8:36) Brett Decker Jr. makes 28-foot three point jumper (Josh Smith assists).
2523
+2 (8:14) AJ Bates makes 17-foot pullup jump shot.
2723
(7:42) Josh Smith misses 23-foot three point jumper.
(7:38) AJ Bates Defensive Rebound.
(7:32) Kaden Cooper misses 29-foot three point jumper.
(7:29) DJ Dudley Offensive Rebound.
(7:27) DJ Dudley misses 24-foot three point jumper.
(7:25) Will Allen Offensive Rebound.
(7:25) Foul on Colin Porter.
(7:21) Will Allen misses layup.
(7:19) Will Allen Offensive Rebound.
+3 (7:17) AJ Bates makes 25-foot three point jumper (Will Allen assists).
3023
(6:45) JJ Harper misses 14-foot jumper.
(6:42) Kaden Cooper Defensive Rebound.
(6:35) AJ Bates misses 28-foot three point jumper.
(6:32) Zander Yates Defensive Rebound.
(6:25) Colin Porter misses 23-foot three point jumper.
(6:22) DJ Dudley Defensive Rebound.
(6:14) DJ Dudley misses 11-foot jumper.
(6:11) Kaden Metheny Defensive Rebound.
+3 (6:00) Kaden Metheny makes 25-foot three pointer.
3026
+3 (5:28) DJ Dudley makes 25-foot three point jumper (Kaden Cooper assists).
3326
+3 (5:14) Brett Decker Jr. makes 24-foot three point jumper (JJ Harper assists).
3329
+2 (4:51) AJ Bates makes driving layup.
3529
(4:32) Foul on Will Allen.
(4:32) JJ Harper misses free throw 1 of 2.
(4:32) Liberty Deadball Team Rebound.
+1 (4:32) JJ Harper makes free throw 2 of 2.
3530
(4:18) AJ Bates misses 8-foot jumper.
(4:18) Josh Smith Block.
(4:18) Louisiana Tech Offensive Rebound.
(4:12) DJ Dudley misses layup.
(4:09) Avery Thomas II Offensive Rebound.
+2 (4:08) Avery Thomas II makes layup.
3730
+3 (3:48) Brett Decker Jr. makes 25-foot three point jumper (Colin Porter assists).
3733
+2 (3:26) AJ Bates makes 16-foot pullup jump shot.
3933
+2 (3:16) Colin Porter makes driving layup.
3935
(2:49) Foul on Zach Cleveland.
(2:32) AJ Bates misses 18-foot jumper.
(2:29) Avery Thomas II Offensive Rebound.
+2 (2:28) Avery Thomas II makes layup.
4135
+3 (1:54) Kaden Metheny makes 24-foot three point jumper (Colin Porter assists).
4138
+2 (1:28) Jaylen Fenner makes 18-foot pullup jump shot.
4338
+2 (1:05) Zach Cleveland makes layup (Kaden Metheny assists).
4340
+2 (0:34) AJ Bates makes 7-foot pullup jump shot.
4540
(0:02) Foul on Melian Martinez.
(0:00) Kaden Metheny misses 22-foot three point jumper.
(0:00) Louisiana Tech Defensive Rebound.

2nd half

Team Stats

LIB

76Points71

32-61(52.5%)Field Goal(%)23-55(41.8%)

7-23(30.4%)3-Point(%)16-39(41.0%)

5-5(100.0%)Free Throw(%)9-13(69.2%)

36(11)Rebounds(Offensive)26(9)

14Assists20

7Steals2

2Blocks1

8Turnovers7

11(0)Fouls(Technical)10(0)

11Largest Lead0

Game Details

Thursday, March 5, 2026 · 7:00 PM

Liberty Arena · Lynchburg, VA

attendance: 3,134 (78.3%)

tv: ESPN+

spread: LIB -8.5

over/under: 136.5