Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Kennesaw State
Blue Raiders open CUSA play on the road
1/1/2026 1:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Friday, Jan. 2 | 6 p.m. | KSU Convocation Center | Kennesaw, Ga. |
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MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS 5-7, 0-0 CUSA |
at | KENNESAW STATE OWLS 7-4, 0-0 CUSA |
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| WATCH: ESPN+ | STATS: LINK | RADIO: WGNS (LINK) | MEDIA CENTER: LINK | ||||
KENNESAW, Ga. – Middle Tennessee opens Conference USA play on the road at Kennesaw State on Friday, Jan. 2, inside the KSU Convocation Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. The game will air on the Blue Raider Network and broadcast on ESPN+.
GAME 13
» Friday, January 2 - 6 p.m.
» KSU Convocation Center
» Kennesaw, Georgia
SERIES HISTORY
» This marks the seventh meeting in series history between the Blue Raiders and Owls.
» MTSU owns a 6-0 lead over Kennesaw State in the all-time series.
» The Blue Raiders won the previous meeting 73-46 on March 12, 2025, in the Quarterfinals of the Conference USA Championship.
BLUE RAIDER NOTES
» MTSU enters the matchup coming off of a 46-45 road win in its non-conference finale over Wichita State. Sophomore Savannah Davis led the way with 10 points, six boards, two block and a pair of steals.
» With non-conference play complete, Blair Baugus and Macie Phifer have established themselves as two of the top freshmen in CUSA. The duo has combined to earn four Freshman of the Week honors, providing immediate production and consistency for the Blue Raiders on both ends of the floor. Baugus enters league play averaging 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.4 steal while ranking among the conference leaders defensively. Phifer has added 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds.
» MTSU has enjoyed great success on the road under Head Coach Rick Insell. The Blue Raiders are 182-97 overall on the road under Insell, for a 66 percent winning ledger. Insell's teams are 77-22 on the road in CUSA play (76 percent), and 135-33 (79 percent) in conference road games overall (Sun Belt and CUSA).
» 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 OWLS
» Kennesaw State enters the matchup with a 7-4, 0-0 CUSA record. The Owls are coming off an 86-41 win over Life.
» Keyarah Berry is leading the Owls in scoring with 15.0 points per game, while Trynce Taylor is grabbing a team high 7.0 rebounds per game.
» Shania Nichols, a transfer from IU Indianapolis, leads KSU and the nation in 3-point percentage (53.7). Nichols also leads the Owls in free throw percentage (84.6) and is second on the team in scoring (11.4 points per game) and field goal percentage (48.6) with starts in just four of 11 games.
» Entering its second season of CUSA competition, KSU was picked to finish in a tie for eighth with UTEP in the league's preseason poll. A season ago, the Owls finished in seventh with a 7-11 conference mark.
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).
Sunday, Jan. 4 | 2:30 p.m. | Pete Mathews Coliseum | Jacksonville, Ala. |
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MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS 5-7, 0-0 CUSA |
at | JAX STATE GAMECOCKS 6-6, 0-0 CUSA |
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| WATCH: ESPN+ | STATS: LINK | RADIO: WGNS (LINK) | MEDIA CENTER: LINK | ||||
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Middle Tennessee travels to Jax State on Sunday, Jan. 4, inside Pete Mathews Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on the Blue Raider Network and broadcast on ESPN+.
GAME 14
» Sunday, January 4 - 2:30 p.m.
» Pete Mathews Coliseum
» Jacksonville, Alabama
SERIES HISTORY
» This marks the fifth meeting in series history between the Blue Raiders and Gamecocks.
» MTSU owns a 4-0 lead over Jax State in the all-time series.
» The Blue Raiders won the previous meeting 63-46 on Feb. 6, 2025, in Murfreesboro.
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
» Jax State enters the weekend with a 6-6, 0-0 CUSA record. The Gamecocks are coming off a 74-39 road win over Presbyterian. Jax State will play host to WKU on Friday, Jan. 2 at 6:30 p.m. before taking on the Blue Raiders on Sunday.
» Mya Barnes is leading the Gamecocks in scoring with 10.5 points per game, while also grabbing a team high 7.6 rebounds per game.
» Jax State was picked to finish 12th in the league's preseason poll. A season ago, the Gamecocks finished in ninth with a 4-14 conference mark.
