Liberty wrapped up a challenging two-game Conference USA road trip with a split, earning a tight 55–53 win at Western Kentucky on Thursday evening before falling 63–54 at Middle Tennessee less than 24 hours later. Liberty is currently 9-9 on the season and 3-4 in conference play.

The Lady Flames showed toughness and composure to close out a close road win against WKU but struggled to find consistent offense the following night against a physical Middle Tennessee squad. With the schedule changed due to an upcoming winter storm, Liberty was forced to play back-to-back road games in a short window, which tested the team and challenged their readiness. While the split is not overly damaging for the Flames, it highlighted areas where Liberty continues to grow and falter as conference play moves forward.

Against Western Kentucky, Liberty came out with strong energy and control in the opening quarter. The Lady Flames played clean basketball early, limiting mistakes and setting the tone defensively. Emmy Stout provided a big moment to close the quarter, knocking down a buzzer-beating three (the first of her career) to give Liberty a 17–10 advantage. Liberty carried that momentum into the second quarter, continuing to execute on offense and holding WKU in check defensively. By halftime, the Lady Flames had built a 33–23 lead and appeared to be in firm control.

The game changed entirely in the third quarter. Liberty struggled coming out of halftime, missing its first 13 field goal attempts of the second half and going more than 11 minutes without a basket. The Lady Flames managed just three points in the quarter, one of the lowest single-quarter scoring totals in program history. Western Kentucky capitalized on the drought and worked its way back into the game. Despite the offensive struggles, Liberty’s defense kept the game from slipping away. In the fourth quarter, Liberty finally broke through offensively, with Jakayla Thompson ending the drought on a layup. The final minutes turned into a back-and-forth battle, but Liberty made enough plays late to escape with a 55–53 road win. Avery Mills hit the game winning three-pointer with 9.1 seconds remaining and JaKayla Thompson stole the final inbounds pass to close out the win.

The following night at Middle Tennessee brought a different challenge against the perennial power in CUSA. Liberty struggled early as MTSU dictated the pace in the first quarter. Offensive rhythm was hard to find, and the Lady Flames found themselves trailing after ten minutes. Liberty responded in the second quarter with improved defensive pressure and better ball movement, slowly clawing back into the game. A buzzer-beating three from Elisabeth Aegisdottir to end the first half gave Liberty a 29–27 lead, but that would account for nearly all of Liberty’s time playing from ahead. The second half turned into a physical, low-scoring battle. Middle Tennessee regained control in the third quarter and then pulled away early in the fourth, using a strong run fueled by turnovers and timely shooting. Liberty continued to compete but was unable to close the gap, falling 63–54.

Liberty had several strong individual performances across the two games. Emmy Stout led the way against Western Kentucky, finishing with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. She narrowly missed her third straight 20-point performance while recording her third double-double of the season and the fourth of her career. Avery Mills continued her consistent scoring stretch, totaling 14 points against WKU and 11 points at Middle Tennessee. She scored in double figures in both games, extending her streak to eight straight.

Claudia Acin played a key role in the win at Western Kentucky, posting a game-high seven assists while committing just one turnover in 33 minutes. Four of her assists came in the fourth quarter, helping Liberty stabilize the offense during a close finish. At Middle Tennessee, Elisabeth Aegisdottir recorded the first double-double of her career with 12 points and 11 rebounds. She also continued her success beyond the arc, knocking down multiple threes for the third straight game. Lydie Mwamba added 10 points against MTSU for her second double-digit scoring performance for LU. Emma Leon also stood out off the bench, playing a career-high 25 minutes while grabbing six rebounds and matching her career best with two made three-pointers.

This road split provides Liberty with both confidence and perspective as Conference USA play continues. The win at Western Kentucky showed the Lady Flames’ ability to close out tight games on the road, while the loss at Middle Tennessee highlighted the importance of offensive consistency, especially in back-to-back situations. Liberty remains in a solid position in the conference standings, but continued improvement will be necessary as the schedule intensifies. Liberty next faces a strong team that is FIU on Thursday night at Liberty Arena. The Panthers are 11-7 on the year and is very physical and offensive-minded.

CUSA Standings

Louisiana Tech………6-1
Middle Tennessee….6-2
Jax State……………….5-2
Sam Houston…………4-2
Missouri State………..4-2
FIU……………………….4-3
Kennesaw State……..3-4
Liberty………………….3-4
Delaware………………3-4
New Mexico State….3-5
UTEP…………………..1-7
Western Kentucky…1-7