Blue Raiders set to host Delaware and Liberty

Thursday, January 22

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

6:30 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

Delaware

1/21/2026 3:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Thursday, Jan. 22 \| 6:30 p.m. \| Murphy Center \| Murfreesboro, Tenn.

	MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS 10-8, 5-1 CUSA	vs	DELAWARE BLUE HENS 7-10, 1-4 CUSA

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

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee returns to Murfreesboro to welcome Delaware to the league on Thursday, Jan. 22, inside the Murphy Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on the Blue Raider Network and broadcast on ESPN+.

GAME 19

» Thursday, January 22 - 6:30 p.m.
» Murphy Center
» Murfreesboro, Tennessee

SERIES HISTORY

» This marks first meeting in series history between the Blue Raiders and Blue Hens.

BLUE RAIDER NOTES

» With a victory in MTSU's upcoming game, Insell would earn his 500th career NCAA Division I win, becoming the 106th coach to reach that mark. He would also become just the 24th coach in Division I women's basketball history to win 500 or more games at a single institution.
» Insell would be only one of six active coaches nationwide with 500 Division I wins at one school — and the only coach in the country with 500 or more NCAA Division I wins and 500 or more high school wins.
» MTSU enters the matchup coming off of a 68-67 road win over Sam Houston. Four Blue Raiders scored in double figures: Alayna Contreras led all scorers with 22 points in 38 minutes, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-5 from three, while adding four assists and three steals. Macie Phifer finished with 15 points in 37 minutes, going 6-of-13 from the floor, 1-of-3 from three and 2-of-2 at the line, with four assists, three blocks and two steals. Savannah Davis scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, in 40 minutes, adding three rebounds and an assist. Kirston Verhulst chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in 40 minutes, shooting 4-of-7 from the field. Blair Baugus pulled down a team-high nine rebounds and added eight points in 34 minutes, along with four assists and a block.
» The Blue Raiders are currently riding a 39-game home win streak against CUSA opponents – last loss vs. Marshall on Mar. 4, 2021.
» The Glass House has been one of the toughest places to play, with Middle Tennessee posting a 59-5 home record across the last four seasons.
» Middle Tennessee ranks 17th nationally in average home attendance at 5,108 fans per game. The Blue Raiders are filling the Murphy Center at a 44% clip through six games — a testament to one of the most loyal and engaged fan bases in the country, who continue to show up and create a true home-court advantage. "This is the first time we've travelled in the state where it hasn't really felt like we had a home crowd, so that says a lot about their fan base." - Kim Caldwell (Tennessee)
» The Blue Raiders are 152-18 (.893) under Head Coach Rick Insell when connecting on 10 or more Three-Point Field Goals in a game.
» 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 BLUE HENS

» Delaware enters the matchup with a 7-10, 1-4 CUSA record. The Blue Hens are coming off a 76-69 win over Liberty.
» Four Blue Hens are averaging double figures in scoring: Kailah Correa (13.1), Ande'a Cherisier (12.8), Lay Fantroy (10.2), and Safi Kolliegbo (10.0).
» Fantroy is grabbing a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game, while Correa is handing out a team-best 2.7 assists per game.
» Delaware was picked to finish 11th in the league's preseason poll in their first year in the league.

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).

Friday, Jan. 23 \| 6:30 p.m. \| Murphy Center \| Murfreesboro, Tenn.

	MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS 10-8, 5-1 CUSA	vs	LIBERTY LADY FLAMES 8-8, 2-3 CUSA

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

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Due to incoming inclement weather, Middle Tennessee will turn around and host Liberty on Friday, Jan. 23, inside the Murphy Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on the Blue Raider Network and broadcast on ESPN+.

GAME 20

» Friday, January 23 - 6:30 p.m.
» Murphy Center
» Murfreesboro, Tennessee

SERIES HISTORY

» This marks the seventh meeting in series history between the Blue Raiders and Lady Flames.
» MTSU owns a 4-2 lead over Liberty in the all-time series.
» The Lady Flames won the previous meeting 53-48 on March 15, 2025, the CUSA Championship game in Huntsville, Ala.

SCOUTING THE LADY FLAMES

» Liberty enters the weekend with an 8-8, 2-3 CUSA record. The Lady Flames fell to Delaware 76-69 last week. Liberty will travel to WKU on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 6:30 p.m. before taking on the Blue Raiders on Friday.
» Avery Mills is leading the Lady Flames in scoring with 15.9 points per game, while Emmy Stout is the only other player averaging double figures (15.1 PPG).
» Ify Nwaobi is grabbing a team-high 9.6 rebounds per game, while Claudia Acin is handing out a team-best 4.8 assists per game.
» Liberty was picked to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll. A season ago, the Bearkats finished in eighth with a 5-13 conference mark.