Bella Smuda earned All-CUSA first team and CUSA All-Defensive Team accolades for the second year in a row.
All-CUSA 1st Team Honoree Smuda Headlines Liberty’s All-Conference Selections
3/10/2025 2:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty's Bella Smuda returned to the All-CUSA first team squad for the second year in a row, headlining five players from the regular-season champion and No. 1 seed Lady Flames (Smuda, Asia Boone, Emma Hess, Avery Mills and Emmy Stout) who earned recognition from the conference on Monday.
Summary of Liberty's CUSA Honors
All-CUSA First Team – Bella Smuda
All-CUSA Second Team – Asia Boone and Emma Hess
All-Defensive Team – Bella Smuda
All-Freshman Team – Avery Mills and Emmy Stout
Notable
Smuda became the first Lady Flame to earn back-to-back all-conference first team honors since Mya Berkman did so in the ASUN in 2022 and 2023.
Liberty placed two players on the all-freshman team for the second year in a row, following Boone and Elisabeth Aegisdottir's honors in 2024.
The Lady Flames' five players to earn conference honors on Monday are the most of any CUSA member this season.
Honoree Capsules (Organized Alphabetically)
Asia Boone (So., G, San Diego, Calif.) –All-CUSA Second Team
Boone is back on the All-CUSA second team for the second year in a row, making her the only sophomore to earn all-conference recognition on Monday. She leads the Lady Flames with 56 three-pointers and ranks second on the team in scoring at 10.4 ppg. Boone has scored in double figures 17 times this year, including five in a row to close out the regular season. She already ranks No. 10 in program history for three-pointers (119) and No. 50 for points (648).
Emma Hess (Sr., G, Beavercreek, Ohio) – All-CUSA Second Team
Hess is an All-CUSA second team honoree this season following a first team selection a year ago. She sits second on the team in assists (2.3 apg) and three-pointers made (48) and third in scoring (10.1 ppg). Hess has posted 14 double-digit scoring efforts this season with a high of 20 in a season-opening win over Valparaiso. A CUSA All-Academic Team member for the second year in a row, Hess became the 22nd member of Liberty's 1,000-point club on Jan. 16 at UTEP. She has knocked down 216 career three-pointers, putting her within 11 of Liberty's all-time record.
Avery Mills (Fr., G, Milford, Del.) – CUSA All-Freshman Team
A two-time CUSA Freshman of the Week (Nov. 18 and Jan. 27), Mills paces Liberty's productive bench with 6.7 ppg. She has shot well from the field (52.6 percent), three-point range (46.8 percent) and the foul line (90.5 percent). Mills has reached double digits in the scoring column seven times, including a 19-point effort at Tennessee. Most recently, she scored all 13 of her points during a 4:46 span of the second half on Saturday against WKU, helping Liberty complete its comeback.
Bella Smuda (R-Sr., C, Exton, Pa.) – All-CUSA First Team, All-Defensive Team
An All-CUSA first team and CUSA All-Defensive Team honoree for the second consecutive season, Smuda paces the Lady Flames in scoring (12.1 ppg), rebounding (6.6 rpg), blocked shots (1.8 bpg) and double-doubles (6). She also ranks No. 2 in CUSA and No. 24 nationally for field goal percentage (56.6). Smuda has scored in double figures a team-best 19 times and posted three 20-point games (high of 27 at Tennessee). Smuda was named to the Cherokee Invitational All-Tournament Team and later hit the game-winning shot with 0.4 seconds remaining at Kennesaw State on March 1. Liberty's career leader in games played (156) ranks No. 2 all-time for the Lady Flames in blocked shots (243), No. 4 in rebounds (965), No. 5 in double-doubles (26) and No. 6 in scoring (1,503).
Emmy Stout (Fr., C, San Diego, Calif.) – CUSA All-Freshman Team
Stout was named CUSA Freshman of the Week on Dec. 16 following a memorable collegiate debut against Randolph (23 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals). That was the first of her five double-digit scoring efforts, as Stout ranks second among Liberty's reserves with 6.6 ppg and third on the team with 4.8 rpg despite playing only 14.6 minutes per contest. Stout, who is shooting 64.6 percent from the field, paced the Lady Flames with 14 points during a Feb. 13 home triumph over New Mexico State.
Liberty (23-6, 16-2 CUSA) enters its second CUSA Women's Basketball Championship appearance as the No. 1 seed after sharing the regular-season title with Middle Tennessee. The Lady Flames will play in a quarterfinal Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. Eastern against the winner of Tuesday's first-round matchup between No. 8 seed Sam Houston and No. 9 seed Jacksonville State.
All tournament games will be played at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala., and single-session tickets are available at LibertyFlames.com/CUSABasketball.
Summary of Liberty's CUSA Honors
All-CUSA First Team – Bella Smuda
All-CUSA Second Team – Asia Boone and Emma Hess
All-Defensive Team – Bella Smuda
All-Freshman Team – Avery Mills and Emmy Stout
Notable
Smuda became the first Lady Flame to earn back-to-back all-conference first team honors since Mya Berkman did so in the ASUN in 2022 and 2023.
Liberty placed two players on the all-freshman team for the second year in a row, following Boone and Elisabeth Aegisdottir's honors in 2024.
The Lady Flames' five players to earn conference honors on Monday are the most of any CUSA member this season.
Honoree Capsules (Organized Alphabetically)
Asia Boone (So., G, San Diego, Calif.) –All-CUSA Second Team
Boone is back on the All-CUSA second team for the second year in a row, making her the only sophomore to earn all-conference recognition on Monday. She leads the Lady Flames with 56 three-pointers and ranks second on the team in scoring at 10.4 ppg. Boone has scored in double figures 17 times this year, including five in a row to close out the regular season. She already ranks No. 10 in program history for three-pointers (119) and No. 50 for points (648).
Emma Hess (Sr., G, Beavercreek, Ohio) – All-CUSA Second Team
Hess is an All-CUSA second team honoree this season following a first team selection a year ago. She sits second on the team in assists (2.3 apg) and three-pointers made (48) and third in scoring (10.1 ppg). Hess has posted 14 double-digit scoring efforts this season with a high of 20 in a season-opening win over Valparaiso. A CUSA All-Academic Team member for the second year in a row, Hess became the 22nd member of Liberty's 1,000-point club on Jan. 16 at UTEP. She has knocked down 216 career three-pointers, putting her within 11 of Liberty's all-time record.
Avery Mills (Fr., G, Milford, Del.) – CUSA All-Freshman Team
A two-time CUSA Freshman of the Week (Nov. 18 and Jan. 27), Mills paces Liberty's productive bench with 6.7 ppg. She has shot well from the field (52.6 percent), three-point range (46.8 percent) and the foul line (90.5 percent). Mills has reached double digits in the scoring column seven times, including a 19-point effort at Tennessee. Most recently, she scored all 13 of her points during a 4:46 span of the second half on Saturday against WKU, helping Liberty complete its comeback.
Bella Smuda (R-Sr., C, Exton, Pa.) – All-CUSA First Team, All-Defensive Team
An All-CUSA first team and CUSA All-Defensive Team honoree for the second consecutive season, Smuda paces the Lady Flames in scoring (12.1 ppg), rebounding (6.6 rpg), blocked shots (1.8 bpg) and double-doubles (6). She also ranks No. 2 in CUSA and No. 24 nationally for field goal percentage (56.6). Smuda has scored in double figures a team-best 19 times and posted three 20-point games (high of 27 at Tennessee). Smuda was named to the Cherokee Invitational All-Tournament Team and later hit the game-winning shot with 0.4 seconds remaining at Kennesaw State on March 1. Liberty's career leader in games played (156) ranks No. 2 all-time for the Lady Flames in blocked shots (243), No. 4 in rebounds (965), No. 5 in double-doubles (26) and No. 6 in scoring (1,503).
Emmy Stout (Fr., C, San Diego, Calif.) – CUSA All-Freshman Team
Stout was named CUSA Freshman of the Week on Dec. 16 following a memorable collegiate debut against Randolph (23 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals). That was the first of her five double-digit scoring efforts, as Stout ranks second among Liberty's reserves with 6.6 ppg and third on the team with 4.8 rpg despite playing only 14.6 minutes per contest. Stout, who is shooting 64.6 percent from the field, paced the Lady Flames with 14 points during a Feb. 13 home triumph over New Mexico State.
Liberty (23-6, 16-2 CUSA) enters its second CUSA Women's Basketball Championship appearance as the No. 1 seed after sharing the regular-season title with Middle Tennessee. The Lady Flames will play in a quarterfinal Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. Eastern against the winner of Tuesday's first-round matchup between No. 8 seed Sam Houston and No. 9 seed Jacksonville State.
All tournament games will be played at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala., and single-session tickets are available at LibertyFlames.com/CUSABasketball.
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