Paint Problems Sink Aggies at Liberty, 69-53

LYNCHBURG, Virginia (KVIA) -- From start to finish, Liberty's interior presence proved to be too much for NM State on Thursday evening. The Lady Flames were led by 22 points and 13 rebounds from Bella Smuda, who used her 6-foot-6 frame to control the paint all game long. NM State put forth its season-worst performance on the boards, being out-rebounded 42-26 and allowing 13 second chance points for the home team. Liberty (9-13, 4-3) won its third straight contest and improved to fourth in the conference standings. With the loss, NM State (9-11, 3-4) fell for the seventh time in ten showings, dropping to fifth in CUSA.

First Quarter
Liberty put up a hot opening frame, posting 22 points from only three scorers. Bella Smuda sank three field goals to amass eight points and five rebounds, joined by Jordan Hodges' eight points and two 3-pointers. Asia Boone poured in two more deep balls for six of her 14 points. The Aggies sank two of their own from behind the arc, one apiece from Molly Kaiser and Sylena Peterson. However, four turnovers and three fouls held the road team to just 16 points. The Lady Flames took a six point edge into the second stanza. 

Second Quarter
The Aggies played the game much closer to their desired pace in the second quarter. Each team was knotted up with 11 points, led by four points and an assist from Sabou Gueye. The teams were incredibly balanced from the floor, with NM State going 5-for-14 and Liberty at 5-13. With the even quarter, the home team took a 32-27 lead into the locker room. 

Third Quarter
While the two sides combined for nine turnovers in the first frame out of halftime, NM State only put up 10 shots. The Aggies converted on four of them, but utilized five free throws made to muster up 13 points. Liberty put up another 20-point frame, led by seven more from Hodges. The Lady Flames shot 7-for-12 as a team to take a 53-40 lead into the final 10 minutes. 

Fourth Quarter
Tylie Jones, Ene Adams and Fanta Gassama each hit their lone field goal attempt in the final quarter. Outside of that trio, the Aggies missed all 10 shots in the last frame. Once again, six free throws in the quarter kept the game competitive, but the home team was well in control as time dwindled down. The margin was cut to 9 with just over seven minutes remaining, but the visitors never managed to keep it a single-digit affair after that. Liberty pulled away and won by a final score of 69-53.

Numbers of Note

• After missing 13 games with a shin injury, Tylie Jones returned to action, logging three rebounds and seven points on just four shots, including a 3-pointer in the third quarter.
• NM State was out-rebounded 42 to 26 in the loss. The margin of -16 was the worst for the team this season, and the worst since Dec. 3, 2022 against San Diego (-16).
• Liberty was perfect at the charity stripe, going 9-9 at the free throw line. 
• NM State only coughed up 13 turnovers, tied for a season-low (also at New Mexico).

Head Coach Jody Adams, on the loss: "In the first quarter, we didn't guard the three well. They got some open looks, but I thought we played great in the second quarter. Our defense really picked up after the first timeout. I thought things changed for us and we were executing and playing defense. In the third quarter, we came out and it was within two [points]. It just seems like we make some substitutions and we're not on the same page. We need our subs to come in and make the defensive plays. The scoring will figure out itself, but we came in and did some things we don't normally do, which cost us. If we can get three kills, three stops in a row, multiple times in a game, that's a high percentage of keeping the team from scoring." 

Head Coach Jody Adams, on the issues down low: "It's about discipline and a disciplined mindset. In practice, if you repeat the behavior of playing through a foul and not stopping, then you've trained yourself to do that in a game. I think they [Liberty] had a disciplined mindset, where they would miss a shot and go get the rebound. Meanwhile, we thought we had the stop and we didn't finish the play. I think we have a lot to learn from that aspect."

Up Next
Following the loss, NM State will hop back on the road, taking the show to Jacksonville, Ala. On Saturday at 2:30 PM CT, the Aggies will visit the Gamecocks in a matchup of new CUSA members. Jax State (7-12, 2-5) recently beat UTEP by a score of 70-62. The matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via nmstatestats.com. 

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