Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Auburn
Blue Raiders welcome Auburn to the Glass House
12/15/2025 3:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Christmas in the Murphy Center tips off Tuesday
Tuesday, Dec. 16 | 6:30 p.m. | Murphy Center | Murfreesboro, Tenn. |
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MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS 4-6, 0-0 CUSA |
vs. | AUBURN TIGERS 8-3, 0-0 SEC |
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| WATCH: ESPN+ | STATS: LINK | RADIO: WGNS (LINK) | MEDIA CENTER: LINK | ||||
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee returns to the 'Boro to face Auburn on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m. (CT) inside the Murphy Center – the final home non-conference matchup of the year. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on the Blue Raider Network and broadcast on ESPN+.
Gameday Promotions: Christmas in the Murphy Center
» Photos with Santa
» Teddy Bear Toss
» Fan Giveaway: Murphy Center Christmas Ornament
» Combo Season Ticket Holder Gift Pick Up
GAME 11
» Tuesday, December 16 - 6:30 p.m.
» Murphy Center
» Nashville, Tennessee
SERIES HISTORY
» This marks the sixth meeting in series history between the Blue Raiders and Tigers.
» Auburn owns a 4-1 lead over MTSU in the all-time series.
» The Blue Raiders won the previous meeting 73-50 on Nov. 29, 2019 in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla.
BLUE RAIDER NOTES
» MTSU enters the matchup coming off of a 59-76 road setback to Southern Indiana. Freshman Macie Phifer led the way with a career-high 20-point, career-best 10-rebound, a double-double – the first of her career. She was followed by Blair Baugus, who posted an 11 points, 10-rebound double-double – her fifth of the year.
» After turning in the best performance of her young collegiate career, Phifer was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Week. She recorded a career-high 20 points and a career-best 10 rebounds to secure her first collegiate double-double. went 7-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-5 at the free-throw line. With 20 points, Phifer became the third MTSU freshman to score 20 or more points this season.
» The Glass House has been one of the toughest places to play, with Middle Tennessee posting a 57-4 home record across the last four seasons. The lone losses came to Seton Hall (2022-23 WNIT semifinals), Princeton (2023-24) and this year to No. 13 Tennessee and Belmont.
» 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 TIGERS
» Auburn enters the matchup with an 8-3, 0-0 SEC record. The Tigers are coming off a 63-69 road loss to Seton Hall.
» The Tigers rank seventh nationally in scoring defense, holding opponents to 54.7 points per game. Auburn also ranks fifth nationally in turnovers forced per game (21.3) and eighth in field goal percentage defense (35.1).
» Kaitlyn Duhon leads the Tigers in scoring at 10.9 points per game. She is also getting a team-high 3.5 steals per game.
» Khady Leye is Auburn's leading rebounder, grabbing 5.5 boards per game.
FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS
Follow Middle Tennessee Women's Basketball on social media on Facebook (/MTSUWBB), X (Formerly known as Twitter) (@MT_WBB) and Instagram (@mt_wbb).
