Lady Flames Stun No. 1 Defense, Tie for First in CUSA Standings

Liberty Downs Middle Tennessee 61-42 to Put Both Teams into a First Place Tie

Liberty Arena witnessed a dominant defensive performance Thursday night as the Liberty Lady Flames shut down Middle Tennessee, securing a commanding 61-42 victory. The win not only marked Liberty’s first-ever triumph over the Blue Raiders but also created a first-place tie atop the Conference USA standings.

Dominant Performance

Liberty (23-6, 15-2 CUSA) avenged its 69-41 loss from Jan. 4 in Murfreesboro, flipping the script on a team that entered the night as the nation’s top-ranked defense. Senior Bella Smuda led the charge, recording 21 points and 10 rebounds, breaking Liberty’s all-time games played record at 155. The Lady Flames extended their winning streak to seven games overall and improved to 12-0 at Liberty Arena heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale against Western Kentucky.

Middle Tennessee (23-7, 15-2 CUSA) saw its 11-game winning streak snapped, scoring a season-low 42 points. The Blue Raiders fell behind by as many as 33 points, mustering only 20 points through three quarters before a late push made the final score more respectable.

Liberty Leaders

• Bella Smuda – 21 points, 10 rebounds
• Asia Boone – 10 points, 2-4 3PT
• Emma Hess – 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
• Jordan Hodges – 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2-4 3PT

Team Stats

• Field Goals: Liberty 40.7% | MTSU 31.3%
• Three-Pointers: Liberty 26.1% | MTSU 9.1% (1-for-11)
• Free Throws: Liberty 91.7% | MTSU 68.8%
• Rebounding: Liberty 39 | MTSU 25
• Bench Points: Liberty 11 | MTSU 2

Middle Tennessee capitalized on Liberty’s 16 turnovers, converting them into 14 points, but the Lady Flames controlled the glass after being outrebounded in their first meeting.

Game Changer

Liberty set the tone early, holding Middle Tennessee to one made field goal in the game’s first 9:14 and jumping out to a 14-4 lead. The Lady Flames, who had never led the Blue Raiders by more than five points in their previous four matchups, never trailed in this contest.

What’s Next?

Liberty will close its regular season at home against Western Kentucky (22-7, 13-4 CUSA) Today at 2 p.m. (ESPN+).

A victory would secure at least a share of Liberty’s first CUSA regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming CUSA Women’s Basketball Championship. The Lady Flames last won a regular-season title in 2017-18, their final year in the Big South Conference.