Liberty (13-9, 2-5) falls at New Mexico State (10-12, 4-3), 79-73, in overtime on Thursday night in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

“I was proud of our group for the way they responded,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay. “All the foul trouble, Kyle Rode, Joseph Venzant, we ran out of gas, ran out of gas. It’s a great group to coach. I don’t want to take anything away from New Mexico State. Jason (Hooten) does a great job with his group. I’m disappointed though, I’m not going to lie. I’m really disappointed.”

The Flames dropped a second straight and have now lost all four games on the road in conference play. Three of those losses have either been decided by one possession or in overtime, life on the road once again proving to be difficult in Conference USA.

Liberty once again struggled from three-point territory, making just 6 of 31 for 19% from behind the arc. The Flames connected on their first two from three to open the game, but would struggle throughout the rest of the contest.

Zach Cleveland led the way for the Flames with 23 points while making 11 of 13 from the free throw line to go along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Kaden Metheny added 16 points while Brody Peebles had 13 despite missing all 5 of his three point attempts.

The Flames conclude their three-game road swing on Saturday at UTEP with tip-off scheduled for 9 p.m.

TEMPERS WERE HIGH

With just under 12 minutes on the clock in the first half, Liberty forward Shiloh Robinson and NMSU’s Robert Carpenter got tangled under the basket as each was fighting for position for a potential rebound. Carpenter punched Robinson in the face as the Liberty fifth year senior fell to the floor in pain. Carpenter was called for a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game. Robinson exited to the locker room with an injury to the face and did not return to the game.

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

On the final play of the first half, NMSU’s Keylon Dorsey attempted a three pointer just in front of the Liberty bench. After the shot, it appeared Dorsey exchanged words with some members of the Liberty bench. After a halftime review, Dorsey and a Liberty staff member were assessed technical fouls.

With about 1:37 left in regulation, Zach Cleveland and Femi Odukale got offsetting technical fouls called on them.

“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.”

FLAMES HAD TO DO IT WITHOUT SHILOH, KYLE FOR MUCH OF THE GAME

After Shiloh Robinson went down to injury following the flagrant foul in the first half, he only played 2 minutes in the contest. Fellow fifth year senior Kyle Rode was plagued by foul trouble throughout the game and only played 24 minutes on the night. Rode struggled from the field while he was on the floor, finishing with 9 points while shooting 3 of 12 from the field and 1 of 8 from three. Having to play so many minutes without two of your veterans is tough to do, especially on the road in a hostile environment.

LIBERTY FALLS IN CLOSE ONE ON ROAD ONCE AGAIN

The Flames began conference play on the road at Western Kentucky. Liberty would lose that game by two, as Brody Peebles missed a three pointer from the corner in the closing seconds. The Flames’ next game on the road was at Louisiana Tech, where Liberty had a chance to win in regulation but was unable to score on the final possession of a tied game and then lost in overtime.

Back on the road this past Saturday at Jacksonville State, the Flames were outlasted by the Gamecocks. Now, Liberty drops a second game in overtime on the road, losing at New Mexico State. The Aggies, meanwhile, improve to 10-1 on their home floor this season.

“My hope is every game we have a chance to win,” said McKay. “I think we’ve had a chance to win every game down the stretch, haven’t gotten the breaks that we need. Really good teams make their breaks. I’m confident in our group that we will figure it out.”