Middle Tennessee State women’s basketball coach Rick Insell had one thing in mind when he recruited Alayna Contreras from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
“We brought in AC in to shoot,” Insell said after MTSU’s 81-58 win over rival Western Kentucky on Jan. 31 at Murphy Center. “We didn’t bring her in to play defense, we didn’t bring her in to rebound. We brought her in to shoot. And we’ve kind of had to take her through that process, because she passed up so many shots early.”
Advertisement
The senior guard is coming into her own with the Blue Raiders. She is averaging 19 points in the team’s past four games, including a season-high 25 against Western Kentucky.
“I think we’ve been unselfish throughout the year,” said Contreras, who had six of the 16 assists against Western Kentucky (5-15, 1-8 CUSA). “I think it just helps when we hit shots. I really don’t think about (carrying the weight). I just like to center myself and play my game.”
Contreras averaged 17.3 points a game last season and came to MTSU having scored more than 1,000 points during her career, which included a freshman season at Cochise College in Arizona. She set a UMKC program record with 589 field goal attempts during her junior season.
MORE: Rick Insell reflects on career after 500th win with MTSU women’s basketball
Advertisement
She has scored in double figures in 14 of the 21 games for MTSU (12-9, 7-2). But she also had a three-game stretch during December where she was held scoreless twice and to just two points in the other. MTSU is 5-0 in games in which she has scored at least 20.
Young MTSU women’s basketball team starting to click
While Contreras was brought to MTSU as a scoring threat from outside, she was also needed to be a veteran in a lineup that was full of freshmen and lost all five starters from a season ago.
Middle Tennessee State guard Alayna Contreras (3) brings the ball up the court during the NCAA women’s basketball game against Western Kentucky, on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026.
She said the team could be hitting its stride at the right time.
“Absolutely . . . I think because of how new we are, we would have a lot of ups and downs,” said Contreras, who is averaging 12.6 points and two assists and has hit 36 3-pointers (including 5 of 10 against WKU). “But I think it feels good when we get rolling like this.”
Advertisement
PHOTOS: Middle Tennessee State Men host Western Kentucky. Our best photos.
Contreras’ success is also filtering down to the younger players. While freshman forward Blair Baugus has shined all season, including her ninth double-double (15 points, 17 rebounds), her teammates are seeing things click as well.
Macie Phifer tied her season high with 20 points against the Lady Hilltoppers, and point guard Kirston Verhulst added 15.
“Baugus can play, Macie Phifer can play, Kirston can play . . . I can go right down the line,” Insell said. “Next week is pivotal for us. We go to play Missouri State (Feb. 5) and then we got to fly (to Florida International on Feb. 7). A lot of mountains we’ve got to climb. So let’s see how we handle that.
Advertisement
“They’re freshmen. See how they handle that. If we can handle that and we can get a couple of wins, then I’ll come back and sit down with you and we’ll talk about where this team can go.”
Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Contact him at cjoyce@dnj.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Cecil_Joyce.
“
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU women’s basketball senior Alayna Contreras hitting stride
