Blue Raiders travel to St. Louis for first road contest against the Billikens

Thursday, November 6

Saint Louis, Mo.

4 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

St. Louis

11/5/2025 3:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Thursday, Nov. 6 \| 4 p.m. \| Chaifetz Arena \| St. Louis, Mo.

	MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS 1-0, 0-0 CUSA	at	SAINT LOUIS BILLIKENS 0-1, 0-0 A10

WATCH: ESPN+ \| STATS: LINK \| RADIO: WGNS (LINK) \| MEDIA CENTER: LINK

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Middle Tennessee heads to St. Louis, Mo., to take on the Saint Louis Billikens on Thursday, Nov. 6, inside the Chaifetz Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT. The game will air on the Blue Raider Network and broadcast on ESPN+.

GAME TWO

» Thursday, November 6 - 4 p.m.
» Chaifetz Arena
» St. Louis, Missouri

SERIES HISTORY

» This marks the first meeting in series history between the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and Saint Louis Billikens.

BLUE RAIDER NOTES

» This will be the first meeting in series history between the Blue Raiders and Billikens.
» MTSU enters the matchup coming off of a 59-53 win over Tennessee State to open the season in its annual Eduaction Day game that drew an attendance of 8,843.
» The Blue Raiders have enjoyed great success on the road under Head Coach Rick Insell. The Blue Raiders are 180-94 overall on the road under Insell, for a 65 percent winning ledger.
» Middle Tennessee is one of only a handful of Division I programs that do not feature a single returning starter on the roster. According to available national data, Santa Clara is the only program in the country bringing in more newcomers while also returning zero starters.
» Senior Alayna Contreras was selected to the CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team. The Minneapolis, Minn., native started all 33 games last year and led UMKC in scoring (17.3 ppg), minutes, field goals made, three-pointers made and free throws made.
» Middle Tennessee was picked third in the CUSA preseason poll. This marks only the sixth time in Rick Insell's 21 seasons — and just the fourth time in CUSA — that the Blue Raiders have not been selected as the preseason favorite.

SCOUTING THE BILLIKENS

» Saint Louis enters the matchup with an 0-1, 0-0 A10 record. The Billikens are coming off of a 70-66 road loss to Missouri State in their season opener.
» Graduate student Alexia Nelson was named to the Atlantic 10 Conference preseason third team. Nelson, a transfer with experience at Towson and UMBC, joined the Billikens through the portal.
» The Billikens were picked to finish ninth in the A-10 women's basketball preseason poll.
» Key returners include sophomore guards Mia Bergstrom and Hannah Wallace. Bergstrom ranked second on the team with 41 3-pointers last season and averaged 4.5 points per game.
» Saint Louis added four freshmen — Jahda Denis, Jasaiyah Wallace, Alyssa Koerkenmeier and Zhykera Brown — all looking to make an immediate impact.
» Graduate transfer Zya Nugent joins the Billikens after stints at Stephen F. Austin and West Virginia. At SFA, she won a WAC Tournament championship and earned tournament MVP honors.
» Jada Tiggett, a transfer from North Carolina Central, was a member of the MEAC All-Defensive Team last season. She ranked among the nation's top 20 in blocks per game (2.3).
» Ellie Paloucek, also a member of the SLU women's soccer team, will join the basketball squad following soccer season. She has been part of three A-10 championship and NCAA tournament teams.
» Head coach Rebecca Tillett enters her fourth season at Saint Louis and eighth overall. In her first year at SLU in 2022-23, she guided the Billikens to their first A-10 Tournament title and NCAA appearance. She previously won a Big South crown at Longwood in 2021-22. Tillett holds a 54-56 record at SLU and a 105-124 mark overall.