Harper’s 17 help Liberty knock off New Mexico State 73-71

By Canadian Press on January 15, 2026.

LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) — JJ Harper and Brett Decker Jr. each scored 17 points as Liberty beat New Mexico State 73-71 on Thursday night.

Harper added three steals for the Flames (14-3, 6-0 Conference USA). Decker shot 7 for 12, including 2 for 5 from beyond the arc. Josh Smith had 14 points and shot 5 of 8 from the field and 3 for 4 from the line. The Flames picked up their eighth straight win.

Anthony Wrzeszcz finished with 16 points for the Aggies (9-7, 2-4). Jemel Jones added 15 points and six rebounds for New Mexico State. Elijah Elliott finished with 12 points.

Decker scored 11 points in the first half for Liberty, which led 46-29 at halftime. Zach Cleveland’s dunk with 7:28 left in the second half gave Liberty the lead for good at 62-60. Cleveland added two free throws to make it 72-69 with 1:11 left.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press

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