Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Missouri State
Blue Raiders, Lady Bears Set for CUSA Quarterfinal Matchup
3/11/2026 5:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Thursday, Mar. 12 | 2 p.m. | Propts Arena | Huntsville, Ala. |
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MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS 16-14, 11-7 CUSA |
vs | MISSOURI STATE LADY BEARS 19-12, 11-7 CUSA |
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| WATCH: ESPN+ | STATS: LINK | RADIO: WGNS (LINK) | MEDIA CENTER: LINK | ||||
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Third-seeded Middle Tennessee is set to take on the sixth-seeded Missouri State Lady Bears in the Quarterfinals of the CUSA Championship on Thursday, March 12, inside Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT. The game will air on the Blue Raider Network and broadcast on ESPN+.
GAME 31
» Thursday, March 12 - 2 p.m.
» Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center
» Huntsville, Alabama
SERIES HISTORY
» This marks the sixth meeting in series history between the Blue Raiders and Lady Bears.
» MTSU owns a 4-1 lead over Missouri State in the all-time series.
» The Blue Raiders won the previous meeting 86-76 earlier this season on March 7, 2026, in Murfreesboro – the regular season finale.
» A trio of Blue Raiders scored in double-figures: Alayna Contreras led all scorers with 31 points in 38 minutes, shooting 8-of-12 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from three, while going 12-of-13 at the free-throw line and adding three steals. Blair Baugus followed with 29 points and 10 rebounds in 37 minutes for a double-double, going 9-of-20 from the floor and a perfect 10-of-10 at the line, while also recording three assists and two steals. Macie Phifer added 12 points in 40 minutes, knocking down 2-of-6 from three, while contributing four rebounds and a block.
BLUE RAIDER NOTES
» Middle Tennessee is making its 13th appearance in the CUSA Quarterfinals. The Blue Raiders are 10-1 all-time in the CUSA Quarterfinals. Note: The remainder of the 2020 CUSA Women's Basketball Championship was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
» Blair Baugus — Named Conference USA Freshman of the Year, First Team All-CUSA and CUSA All-Freshman Team after averaging 13.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game with 13 double-doubles during the regular season and eight CUSA Freshman of the Week honors.
» Alayna Contreras — Earned Second Team All-Conference USA honors after averaging 14.2 points per game while shooting 37.7% from three-point range and earning two CUSA Player of the Week awards.
» Macie Phifer — Named All-CUSA Honorable Mention and selected to the CUSA All-Freshman Team after averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and earning three CUSA Freshman of the Week honors.
» Middle Tennessee is one of 12 schools nationally where women's basketball averages higher attendance than men's basketball. The Blue Raiders averaged 4,386 fans per game, compared to 3,682 for the men's program.
» With a 63-54 win over Liberty, Coach Insell earned his 500th career NCAA Division I victory, becoming one of just six active coaches with 500 Division I wins at a single school — and the only coach nationwide with 500+ Division I and 500+ high school wins.
» The Blue Raiders are 154-18 (.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.
» 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 BEARS
» Missouri State enters the matchup with an 19-12, 11-7 CUSA record.
» A pair of Lady Bears are averaging double figures in scoring: Kaemyn Bekemeier (17.4) and Lainie Douglas (13.8).
» Bekemeier is also grabbing a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game, while Maycee James is handing out a team-best 2.7 assists per game.
» Missouri State was picked to finish fourth in the league's preseason poll in its 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).
