Mills, Stout & Nwaobi Collect All-CUSA Honors

From Liberty Athletics

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty standout sophomores Avery Mills and Emmy Stout were each voted to the All-CUSA first team squad on Monday. Meanwhile, Ify Nwaobi was named to both the CUSA All-Freshman Team and the All-CUSA honorable mention squad.

Notable
Liberty joined FIU as the only squads to put two players on the All-CUSA first team.

This is the second time in three years two Lady Flames have made the All-CUSA first team. Emma Hess and Bella Smuda were previously honored together in 2023-24.

Mills and Stout were two of three members of the 2024-25 CUSA All-Freshman Team who earned All-CUSA first team accolades this season as sophomores, along with Louisiana Tech's Paris Bradley.

Stout joins Hess (2023-24) as the only Lady Flames to collect CUSA All-Academic Team and All-CUSA first team distinction the same season.

Nwaobi becomes the fourth member of the Lady Flames' current starting lineup to have made the CUSA All-Freshman Team, joining Elisabeth Aegisdottir (2023-24), Mills (2024-25) and Stout (2024-25).

Honoree Capsules (Organized Alphabetically)
Avery Mills (So., G, Lynchburg, Va.) – All-CUSA First Team
The CUSA Player of the Week on Jan. 5, Mills leads CUSA in three-pointers per game (3.13, No. 2 nationally) and three-point field goal percentage (42.6, No. 17 nationally) while ranking No. 4 on the conference scoring chart (15.3 ppg). Mills has hit 75 triples this season, just one off the Liberty single-season record of 76 set by Emma Hess in 2023-24. Her 42.6 three-point field goal percentage is superior to the Liberty single-season mark of 39.1, achieved by Emily Lytle in 2020-21. Mills has recorded six 20-point games with a high of 27 at Jacksonville State on Feb. 5. That contest saw her knock down seven three-pointers, one away from matching the Liberty single-game record. Mills scored the game-winning points during the final 10 seconds of road victories at George Mason (Dec. 7) and Western Kentucky (Jan. 22). She was also honored as Navy Classic MVP.

Ify Nwaobi (R-Fr., F, Calgary, Alberta, Canada) – CUSA All-Freshman Team, All-CUSA Honorable Mention
Nwaobi, who has collected a pair of CUSA Freshman of the Week honors (Feb. 9 and March 2), is CUSA's leading rebounder (9.6 rpg) and sits No. 4 in the conference for blocked shots (1.4 bpg). The nation's sixth-leading rebounder among freshmen, Nwaobi has tallied 249 boards this season. That is the fourth highest total by a freshman in program history. Nwaobi's career-high five blocked shots during a Feb. 26 win over Middle Tennessee were the most by a Lady Flame this year and just one off the Liberty Arena single-game record. A Maui Classic All-Tournament Team member, Nwaobi has notched four double-doubles this season.

Emmy Stout (So., C, San Diego, Calif.) – All-CUSA First Team
Stout ranks among the CUSA leaders in field goal percentage (No. 2, 51.5), scoring (No. 9, 13.8 ppg) and rebounding (No. 14, 6.3 rpg). A Navy Classic All-Tournament Team member, Stout has scored in double figures in 22 of 29 outings with four 20-point games. She has been at her best against some of the top opponents on Liberty's schedule, scoring 22 points at George Mason (Dec. 7), tallying 21 points against Duke (Nov. 16) and going for 20 points versus Louisiana Tech (Jan. 11). Her four double-doubles are tied with Ify Nwaobi for most on the team.

Liberty (17-12, 11-7 CUSA) will open defense of its CUSA championship as the No. 5 seed. The Lady Flames will face No. 4 seed Sam Houston in the CUSA Women's Basketball Championship quarterfinal round for the second year in a row, Thursday at 12:30 p.m. Eastern at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala.

CUSA Championship Ticket Information
Ticket packages for the 2026 CUSA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are now on sale. Both the Flames and Lady Flames will look to defend their conference tournament titles at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala., March 10-14.

Fans can purchase an all-session booklet through the Liberty Ticket Office for $175, a savings of $25. This includes tickets to all nine men's games and all nine women's games throughout the tournament. To purchase tickets and find more information, please visit http://www.libertyflames.com/CUSABasketball.