Hess lifts Liberty to a 53-48 win over Middle Tennessee to claim Conference USA title, NCAA berth

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Emma Hess drilled a deep 3-pointer with more than a minute left to give Liberty a six-point lead and added a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to secure a 53-48 win over Middle Tennessee on Saturday as the Flames claimed the Conference USA Tournament championship and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament.

The top-seeded Flames earned their 18th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2018 and earned their first Conference USA championship since joining for the 2023-24 season. Liberty earned its 26th win of the season, the second time they have hit that mark in the last 10 years.

Liberty led by as many as six points early in the fourth quarter and matched that lead after Hess hit from six feet beyond the 3-point arc with 1:10 left. Jalynn Gregory answered with a 3 from the top of the key for the Blue Raiders with 45 seconds to play, and when Liberty's Asia Boone missed a short jumper, Middle Tennessee got the ball with 28 seconds left. The Blue Raiders got the ball in Gregory's hands in the corner with eight seconds left, but she took a drop step to find room to shoot and stepped out of bounds.

Hess hit 3 of 7 from 3-point range and finished with 14 points to lead the Flames. Boone added 11 points and fifth-year senior Bella Smuda posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Ta'Mia Scott led No. 2 seed Middle Tennessee (26-8) with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Anastasiia Boldyreva added 12 points and eight rebounds.

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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

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