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.
___
AP women's college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indianapolis Star
44 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
Will Caitlin Clark play for Indiana Fever against New York Liberty, 6/14/25? Prediction, TV
The Indiana Fever try to hand the New York Liberty their first loss of the season on Saturday, June 14. Indiana (4-5), which has been without Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham for several games, struggled mightily in the second half in a loss earlier in the week to the Atlanta Dream. Indiana is 2-3 without Clark in the lineup. On Friday, June 13, the Fever announced Clark would return to the lineup against the Liberty. Clark had been out for about three weeks after suffering a quad strain on May 24 against the Liberty. In addition to Clark, Sophie Cunningham will also return after reaggravating a right ankle injury on May 30. DeWanna Bonner, however, will not be with the Fever for Saturday's game because of personal reasons. New York (9-0) is the WNBA's lone undefeated team, winning by an average of 19 points and leading the league in offensive and defensive rating, field goal shooting, 3-pointers made, steals and blocked shots. They edged the Fever 90-88 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 24. Chloe Peterson is your best Fever follow, and sign up for our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. 3 p.m. ET Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Chloe Peterson, IndyStar: Liberty 84, Fever 72 "The Fever are getting a significant boost with Caitlin Clark's return to the floor on Saturday, but I don't think it will be enough for them to take down the 9-0 Liberty. "Clark will be playing a game for the first time in about three weeks after she suffered a quad strain on May 24. It will definitely help with the Fever's up-tempo pace and scoring in transition, but don't expect Clark to be perfect off the bat -- she will need to "shake off a little rust" as she said so herself. "New York, however, has looked like how reigning champions should. They're undefeated nearly a quarter into the season and blew out the Connecticut Sun by 48 points last week. "The Liberty are shorthanded, as well, with Jonquel Jones questionable because of an ankle injury and Leonie Fiebich out because of German National Team commitments. Still, New York has a lot of firepower with Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Natasha Cloud." Fever: DeWanna Bonner (personal reasons) is not with the team. Liberty: Leonie Fiebich has joined the German national team; Jonquel Jones (ankle) is questionable. In four games this season, Caitlin Clark averaged 19.0 points, 9.3 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals, making 31.4% of her 3-pointers. Buy IndyStar's book celebrating Caitlin Clark's rookie season TV: ABC Watch Fever games with a free Fubo trial Radio: 93.5 and 107.5 FM in Indianapolis, with John Nolan (play-by-play) and Bria Goss (analysis). via BetMGM Favorite: Liberty by 4.5 points Over/under: 171.5 total points Moneyline: Fever+165, Liberty -200 ESPN's matchup predictor gives the Liberty a 64.6% chance of winning. Fever-Liberty tickets start at $31 on StubHub (Season averages)
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
What happened when LSU and Arkansas played during the regular season?
What happened when LSU and Arkansas played during the regular season? An All-SEC matchup awaits LSU baseball in Omaha as it faces Arkansas to open the College World Series. Both sides will send their ace pitchers to the mound for Saturday's matchup in all-conference first-teamers in Kade Anderson and Zach Root. The Tigers took the first matchup between the pair in the regular season. The Razorbacks have yet to lose a game in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. They defeated Creighton twice and North Dakota State in the regional along with a two-game sweep of Tennessee in the Fayetteville Super Regional. All but one game was decided by four or more runs. LSU made things interesting in the Baton Rouge regional, needing a championship game-win over Little Rock to get through to super regional. The Tigers handled West Virginia inside Alex Box Stadium, earning them a chance to win their second national championship in three years. The regular season series in early May between LSU and Arkansas gave fans a bit of everything, from extra innings to a mercy rule. What happened during the regular season series between LSU and Arkansas? To start off the series in Baton Rouge, Anderson and Root took the mound on Friday. The Tigers' southpaw allowed three runs over 5.2 innings and struck out 10 while Root struck out six and gave up two runs. In the bottom of the tenth inning, Ethan Frey's sacrifice fly allowed Jared Jones to score from third base, sealing the 5-4 victory. LSU cemented the series win in seven innings on Saturday. In the 13-3 win, the Tigers clubbed four homers. Jake Brown went yard twice with five RBI while Frey batted in four runs on two hits. Anthony Eyanson picked up the win, hurling six scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts. Arkansas salvaged the series finale with a 7-4 win on Sunday. Three Razorbacks finished with two hits while their bullpen held off the LSU offense. Casan Evans, one of eight Tigers pitchers to see action, took the loss as he allowed four runs on seven hits over 3.2 innings.
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Oregon State-Louisville baseball live updates: Time, TV for College World Series game
Hear this story Oregon State baseball snapped a seven-year College World Series drought by winning the Corvallis Super Regional, and it now looks to continue its "road warrior" mentality with an opening win in Omaha. The eighth-seeded Beavers' first opponent also happens to be another team that is back at the Mecca of college baseball for the first time in quite some time. Oregon State and Louisville are slated to close down Day 1 of the 2025 CWS with a 7 p.m. ET first pitch on June 13 at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mitch Canham's Beavers, who are competing as an independent this season, are led by Aiva Arquette, a 6-foot-5 junior shortstop who is one of the top prospects in the upcoming MLB draft. Trent Caraway has been on a heater at the plate this postseason for Oregon State as well, with a single-postseason program record of six home runs. He enters Omaha with 14 RBIs on the postseason, which is six RBIs off Adley Rutschman's single-postseason program record. Expert MLB daily picks: Unique MLB betting insights only at USA TODAY Louisville took two of three games against Miami in the super regionals to return to Omaha for the first time since 2019. The Cardinals have been one of the more streaky teams in the NCAA baseball tournament this season, as they have won five of their last six games after losing five of six before the NCAA Tournament. USA TODAY Sports is providing live updates, scores and highlights of Oregon State vs. Louisville at the College World Series. Follow along below. Oregon State vs Louisville baseball live score This section will be updated during the game Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 F L'ville — — — — — — — — — — OSU — — — — — — — — — — Oregon State vs Louisville CWS live updates This section will be updated closer to first pitch Pregame Oregon State, Louisville arrive at CWS The Beavers and the Cardinals have arrived at Charles Schwab Field Omaha for their CWS game. It is the first time both teams are facing each other since the 2013 College World Series. How did Louisville make College World Series? The Cardinals' appearance at the 2025 College World Series has come by way of catching some last-season fire. Louisville began its road to Omaha by sweeping its way through the Nashville Regional, which included a second-round win over top overall seed Vanderbilt. The Cardinals would secure their first regional title since 2022 with a 6-0 shutout win over Wright State. Dan McDonnell's squad would then take two of three games in the Louisville Super Regional against their ACC foe, Miami. The Cardinals' super regional win over the Hurricanes sent them back to Omaha for the sixth time in program history and the first time since 2019. How did Oregon State make College World Series? The Beavers advanced to the College World Series for the first time since winning it all in 2018 by taking two of three games in the Corvallis Super Regional against No. 9 Florida State. Oregon State also played itself out of the "elimination bracket" of the Corvallis Regional to advance out of the first weekend. Oregon State's appearance in Omaha is a bit of a historic one, as it comes as an independent. The Beavers are the first independent to make the eight-team CWS field since Miami in 2004. Click here to read more on why Oregon State is competing as an independent. What time does Oregon State vs Louisville baseball start? Date: June 13 June 13 Time: 7 p.m. ET 7 p.m. ET Where: Charles Schwab Field Omaha (Omaha, Neb.) Oregon State and Louisville are scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET first pitch at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska in the opening round of the College World Series. What TV channel is Oregon State vs Louisville baseball on today? The CWS opening-round game between Oregon State and Louisville will air on ESPN. Mike Monaco (play-by-play), Kyle Peterson (analyst), Chris Burke (analyst) and Kris Budden (sideline reporter) will be on the call for ESPN. Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app (with a TV login), ESPN+ — ESPN's subscription streaming service — and Fubo, the last of which carries ESPN and offers a free trial to potential subscribers. Oregon State vs Louisville baseball predictions, picks, odds Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, June 12 Spread: Oregon State -1.5 Oregon State -1.5 Over/under: 10.5 10.5 Moneyline: Oregon State (-175) | Louisville (+135) NCAA baseball schedule The 2025 NCAA baseball tournament began on May 30 with the regional round of play. The tournament has since advanced to the super regionals, which began June 6 and will run no later than June 9. The College World Series is the final step of the postseason and began on June 13. It will run through June 22 or 23, depending on whether the championship series requires two or three games. Here is more detailed look at the latest college baseball schedule and NCAA Tournament bracket update. Regional round: May 30-June 2 May 30-June 2 Super Regional round: June 6-9 June 6-9 College World Series: June 13-22/23 June 13-22/23 CWS finals: June 21-22/23 The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
