Chillicothe alum Jayvon Maughmer plays in first NCAA Tournament game

No. 12 seed Liberty saw its season come to an end on Friday night, as the Flames were topped 81-52 by the No. 5 seed Oregon Ducks in the 2025 NCAA Tournament Round of 64 at Climate Pledge Arena.

(Editor’s note: Jayvon Maughmer, a graduate of Chillicothe High School and former Frontier Athletic Conference Boys Basketball Player of the Year, reached his first NCAA Div. I tournament in the game. He scored seven points for Liberty.)

The Flames' year concludes with a 28-7 record. Liberty's 28 victories during the 2024-25 campaign are the third most in a season in school history. Oregon (25-9), ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll, advances to the NCAA Round of 32 and will face No. 4 seed Arizona (23-12) on Sunday.

Liberty was held to a season-low 52 points and had its most difficult shooting night of the year (32.8 percent, 20-of-61) and second-worst outing from three-point territory (21.6 percent, 8-of-37). The Flames' 29-point margin of defeat was its largest of the season. Liberty's six other losses this year came by a combined 27 points.

Oregon was led by guard Jackson Shelstad with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Nate Bittle added a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Ducks. Liberty was paced by Zach Cleveland, who led the team in points (10), rebounds (6) and assists (6). Kaden Metheny added nine points, and Taelon Peter and Brett Decker Jr. each scored eight.

Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Zach Cleveland 10 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists; Kaden Metheny 9 points, 5 rebounds; Taelon Peter 8 points, 2 steals; Brett Decker Jr. 8 points, 3-4 FG, 2-3 3FG
Oregon Individuals: Jackson Shelstad 17 points, 7-11 FG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists; Nate Bittle 14 points, 10 rebounds; Keeshawn Barthelemy 10 points.

Key Team Stats: Liberty shot 32.8 percent (20-of-61) for the night, a season low. The Flames' previous season low was 40.6 percent against Carolina U on Nov. 12. Liberty's lowest percentage against a Division I foe prior to tonight was 40.7 percent at Jacksonville State, Feb. 1.

The Flames entered the night ranked sixth in the nation in field goal percentage (49.4) and seventh in three-point percentage (39.0). Liberty finished 8-of-37 from three, 21.6 percent. The Ducks shot 54.4 percent (31-of-57) from the field and 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from three, both season highs surrendered by the Flames.

Oregon is only the fourth team all year the Flames allowed to shoot over 50 percent. Oregon led in rebounding (43-27), points off turnovers (17-14), points in the paint (30-22), second chance points (10-3), fast break points (11-2) and bench points (29-21). The Flames held a 14-12 edge in assists.

Turning Point: Liberty fell behind Oregon 18-2 in the opening 5:20 and could never climb out of the early hole. The closest the Flames got the rest of the way was 13 (27-14) following a Maughmer three-point play at the 7:22 mark. The Ducks extended the lead to 44-20 at the break, Liberty's biggest halftime deficit of the season.

The Flames scored the first four points of the second half in a 62-second span, baskets by Zach Cleveland and Maughmer, but Oregon countered with a 8-2 run to push the lead up to 52-26 with 15:58 left. The Ducks led by as many as 34 and held the advantage for 39:34 of the 40 minutes. Liberty never led (game was tied for 26 seconds).

Key Stats & Notes
 
• This was the Flames' first NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship appearance since 2021.
 
• Liberty has earned seven NCAA Tournament berths all-time and played in six NCAA Tournaments (2020 canceled). The Flames are 1-6 all-time in the Big Dance.
 
• Liberty won both the outright CUSA regular season title and the CUSA Championship crown in only its second season in the league.
 
• Zach Cleveland is the first Flame to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists since he accomplished the same feat himself at New Mexico State during his sophomore season last year (Feb. 1, 2024).
 
• Liberty's 52 points are a season low. The Flames' previous low was 58 points in a 58-45 win over FIU, Feb. 22 at Liberty Arena.
 
• This is the first time the Flames have lost a game in which they trailed at the half. Liberty had only been behind at the break three other times this year and came back to win each of those three times.
 
• Liberty drops to 0-8 all-time against Big Ten foes.
 
• The Flames have won 10 total titles (four conference tournament titles, six regular season or division titles) over the past seven years.
 
• All 14 Liberty players in uniform tonight entered the game.

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