New Mexico State’s Robert Carpenter has been suspended indefinitely by the Aggies after he punched Liberty forward Shiloh Robinson in the face and was ejected from Thursday night’s game. Robinson is expected to miss some time with a broken nose suffered from the injury which occurred in the first half of the game.

“He will be out for a while,” McKay said of Robinson after the game. “He’s got a broken nose. He will be out for a while.”

Carpenter was issued a flagrant foul 2 and immediately ejected from the game for the punch. Carpenter and Robinson battled for position under the basket as they fought for positioning for a potential rebound. As Robinson turned to head back down the court, Carpenter struck him in the face. Robinson fell to the ground, clutching his face and was immediately attended to by Liberty’s staff.

“His actions do not align with the standards we uphold at New Mexico State, and we believe it is important to ensure that any actions contrary to our principles will not be tolerated,” New Mexico State Athletics said in a released statement.

Aggies coach Jason Hooten, in a statement Friday, apologized to Liberty coach Ritchie McKay and the entire program for Carpenter’s actions, saying they reflected “some poor judgment.”

“Throughout my 14-year career as a head coach, I have consistently upheld a high standard of conduct, and something like this has never taken place within my programs nor is this acceptable,” said Hooten, who is in his first year overseeing a program looking to turn the page from hazing accusations and a deadly shooting last season.

Following the game, McKay praised his team’s actions for not retaliating to Carpenter’s punch.

“I was proud of them because one of the most unjust things I’ve ever seen, that I’ve ever witnessed, whether it was in a sporting competition or elsewhere, that occurred,” McKay said of Carpenter’s flagrant foul. “I think if you represent Liberty, if you work on our campus or you are a part of it, you should be really proud of our group because there’s no place for that in competition. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know if we’ve got a reputation of being soft or being whatever, but we continue to take hits. Feel like it’s a bit unjust.”

Liberty returns to action on Saturday night at 9 p.m. ET at UTEP in El Paso, Texas in a game that will be streamed on ESPN+. The Flames and Aggies are scheduled to meet at Liberty Arena in Lynchburg, Virginia on Thursday, Feb. 29 in a rematch.