The Liberty Lady Flames picked up two wins on the road over the weekend by defeating UTEP and New Mexico State. Those wins move Liberty to four straight wins to improve to 12-5 overall and 5-1 in conference play. The Flames are now a half game ahead of Middle Tennessee atop the CUSA standings, marking the first time Liberty has owned sole possession of first place in the conference standings during its two years of CUSA membership.

Here’s a recap of the team’s recent action:

W, 75-64 @ UTEP, Jan. 16

Emma Hess scored a team-high 15 points to reach 1,000 for her career and help lead the Lady Flames to a win on the road at UTEP on Thursday night, securing the team’s third straight victory. Liberty knocked down nine triples and held the Miners to 34.4% shooting from the field. The Flames posted a pair of 8-0 runs during the second quarter. The second of them, punctuated by back-to-back triples from Claudia Acin and Avery Mills, pushed the visitors’ lead to 14 at 39-25 just before halftime. UTEP would not get closer than 7 the rest of the night. In addition to Hess’ 15, Jordan Hodges (12) and Emmy Stout (11) also reached double figures.

W, 82-72 @ New Mexico State, Jan. 18

Liberty used one of its best shooting performances of the season to complete a two-game sweep of the western road swing on Saturday. The victory saw four Lady Flames score in double figures while the team shot 54.5% from the field, made 11 of 20 from three, and knocked down 23 of 26 free throws. The Aggies saw its five game home winning streak halted despite getting 31 points from Molly Kaiser and forcing Liberty into 18 second half turnovers. Bella Smuda led the way for Liberty with 14 points and 7 rebounds while Jordan Hodges had 13 points and 8 rebounds. Emma Hess added 13 points while Pien Steenbergen added 11.

Upcoming schedule

1/25 vs FIU, 1 p.m., ESPN+

CUSA Standings

Liberty………………………5-1
Middle Tennessee…….4-1
Louisiana Tech…………4-2
Western Kentucky……..3-2
New Mexico State…….3-2
FIU……………………………3-3
UTEP…………………………2-3
Jacksonville State…….1-4
Kennesaw State……….1-4
Sam Houston……………1-5