HADLEY, Ky. (Interstat) — In a game defined by a staggering second-half scoring drought, the Liberty women’s basketball team survived a furious Western Kentucky rally to escape E.A. Diddle Arena with a 55-53 victory in a Conference USA matchup on Thursday night.

The Lady Flames, who led by as many as 13 points in the first half, managed just three points in the entire third quarter, allowing the host Lady Toppers to completely erase the deficit and set the stage for a tense final period. Liberty’s three-point third quarter nearly proved catastrophic after it had built a 33-23 halftime lead.

Liberty improved to 9-8 overall, while Western Kentucky fell to 5-13.

The game turned on a dramatic final sequence. With the score tied at 53 and under 30 seconds remaining, Western Kentucky’s Salma Khedr committed a turnover, her team’s 12th of the game, with Liberty’s JaKayla Thompson recording the steal. Following a timeout, Liberty executed its final play, resulting in a 3-pointer from Avery Mills with 10 seconds left to put the Lady Flames ahead for good.

Western Kentucky had one final chance, but Khedr turned the ball over again in the closing seconds, sealing the narrow victory for the visitors.

Liberty was carried offensively by Emmy Stout, a 6-foot-3 sophomore from San Diego, who scored a game-high 19 points. Mills, a guard from Lynchburg, Virginia, added 14 points, including the decisive 3-pointer. Claudia Acin of Girona, Spain, facilitated much of the offense, dishing out seven assists.

The Lady Toppers were led by Khedr, a 6-1 junior from Giza, Egypt, who scored 18 points and blocked a shot. Zsófia Telegdy of Budapest, Hungary, contributed 13 points, while Trinity Rowe of Pikeville, Kentucky, directed the offense with six assists.

The contest was a defensive struggle marked by poor shooting. Liberty made only 20 of 57 field goal attempts, a 35.1% clip, while Western Kentucky hit 20 of 50 for 40%. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, with Liberty connecting on 7 of 24 and Western Kentucky 6 of 21. The Lady Flames held a significant advantage on the offensive glass, grabbing 10 rebounds to the Lady Toppers’ five, which led to crucial second-chance opportunities.

The most critical phase of the game was Liberty’s third-quarter collapse. After shooting relatively well in the first half, the Lady Flames went ice cold, missing all 11 field goal attempts in the period. Their only points came from two Acin free throws with less than a second remaining in the quarter. Meanwhile, Western Kentucky steadily chipped away, outscoring Liberty 13-3 in the frame to tie the game at 36 heading into the fourth.

The final quarter saw five lead changes. Western Kentucky took its first lead since the opening minutes when Telegdy hit a 3-pointer to make it 50-47 with 1:49 to play. Khedr followed with another 3-pointer at the 1:01 mark to give the Lady Toppers a 53-50 advantage, capping a personal 8-0 run.

Liberty responded with a Mills layup to cut the deficit to one before forcing the pivotal late turnovers. The Lady Flames’ defense, which recorded six steals, came up with two in the final 20 seconds to secure the win.

The game was played before an announced crowd of 767 at E.A. Diddle Arena. According to Interstat’s ELO system, Liberty entered with a 73.8% probability to win.

Liberty next travels to face Middle Tennessee on Saturday. Western Kentucky is scheduled to host Delaware on Friday.