LYNCHBURG, Va. – Middle Tennessee (14-13, 9-6 CUSA) lost to Liberty (15-12, 9-7 CUSA) on Thursday night, 37-65.  

In the first quarter, Middle Tennessee took an early 4-0 lead within the first two minutes of the game until Liberty responded with a 14-0 run to make it 14-4. Senior Alayna Contreras then made a pull-up jump shot, closing the gap to 14-6.  

In the second quarter, sophomore Savannah Davis cut the deficit to 8 points with a fast break layup following a turnover, bringing the score to 31-23. The Blue Raiders reduced the margin to 8 again with a three-pointer from Contreras, making the score 34-26. However, the Blue Raiders struggled to keep pace after halftime, as the Flames extended their lead to 20 points in the fourth quarter at 55-35, 5-35, then won by a margin of 28 points at 65-37. 

 Contreras recorded 18 points, freshman Blair Baugus tallied 10 rebounds, and freshman Macie Phifer played for 38 minutes. 

Coach's Comments:  
We've got to do a better job shooting the ball right now. And at the end of the half, we kind of walked the ball down. We've got to do a better job recognizing that stuff, and here we are at the end of the season. We don't need to be making mistakes like that. 

By the Numbers:  
18: Senior Alayna Contreras scored game high of 18 points  
26: Middle Tennessee made 26 Points in the paint  
11: MTSU had Second-chance points 

UP NEXT:  
Middle Tennessee will remain on the road to face the Delaware Blue Hens on Saturday, Feb. 28, inside the Bob Carpenter Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT. The game will air on the Blue Raider Network and broadcast on ESPN+. 

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