Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
WKU
Blue Raiders set to host WKU
1/30/2026 3:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Saturday, Jan. 21 | 12 p.m. | Murphy Center | Murfreesboro, Tenn. |
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MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS 11-9, 6-2 CUSA |
vs | WKU LADY TOPPERS 5-14, 1-7 CUSA |
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| WATCH: ESPN+ | STATS: LINK | RADIO: WGNS (LINK) | MEDIA CENTER: LINK | ||||
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee is set to host WKU on Saturday, Jan. 31, inside the Murphy Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT. The game will air on the Blue Raider Network and broadcast on ESPN+.
The matchup is part of a doubleheader, as the Blue Raider men will also face WKU later in the day at 3 p.m.
GAME 21
» Saturday, January 31 - 12 p.m.
» Murphy Center
» Murfreesboro, Tennessee
SERIES HISTORY
» This marks the 79th meeting in series history between the Blue Raiders and Lady Toppers.
» MTSU owns a 45-33 lead over WKU in the all-time series.
» The Blue Raiders won the previous meeting 71-63 on March 14, 2025, in the semifinals of the CUSA Championship in Huntsville, Ala.
BLUE RAIDER NOTES
» MTSU enters the matchup coming off a 63-54 home win over Liberty – Rick Insell's 500th career victory. A trio of Blue Raiders scored in double-figures: Blair Baugus led Middle Tennessee with 22 points in 38 minutes, shooting an efficient 7-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from three, while adding eight rebounds, a career high six steals and a block. Alayna Contreras finished with 15 points in 39 minutes, knocking down three triples, and contributed four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Macie Phifer added 13 points in 32 minutes, going 4-of-8 from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 at the line, while pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out three assists.
» Continuing her standout freshman season, Middle Tennessee guard Blair Baugus was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Week – her sixth CUSA Freshman of the Week award this season.
» The Glass House has been one of the toughest places to play, with Middle Tennessee posting a 60-6 home record across the last four seasons.
» Middle Tennessee ranks 23rd nationally in average home attendance at 4,753 fans per game. The Blue Raiders are filling the Murphy Center at a 41% clip through nine 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 LADY TOPPERS
» Delaware enters the matchup with a 5-14, 1-7 CUSA record. The Blue Hens are coming off a pair of home losses to Liberty and Delaware.
» No Lady Toppers averages double figures in scoring, but Salma Khedr leads the way at 9.9 PPG
» Zsofia Telegdy is grabbing a team-high 4.8 rebounds per game, while Trinity Rowq is handing out a team-best 4.9 assists per game.
» WKU was picked to finish fifth in the league's preseason poll. A season ago, the Lady Toppers finished in third with a 13-5 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).
