AND SO IT BEGINS: The Tigers kick off their 49th season of women's basketball and 34th as a Division I program on Saturday, Nov. 14. Towson travels to Rider for a 2 p.m. game in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. It is the Tigers' third season under Head coach Niki Reid Geckeler. Live stats and video feed for the game are available via the schedule page on TowsonTigers.com. Fans can also follow @Towson_WBB for updates.

SERIES HISTORY: Towson renews its rivalry with Rider in Saturday's contest. It will be the 26th meeting all-time as the two teams are meeting for the second straight season. The Tigers lead the series 16-8 as the two squads used to meet regularly as part of the East Coast Conference (ECC). Towson has won four straight in the series, including a 53-51 win in Towson last year as part of the consolation bracket of the Preseason WNIT. LaTorri Hines-Allen hit the game-winning shot with 28 seconds to play in the contest.

PICKED TO FINISH: The Tigers were picked to finish eighth in the Preseason Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) poll released at Media Day. Towson finished eighth last year in the CAA standings and beat College of Charleston in the first round of the CAA Tournament. James Madison, who is the defending CAA Champ, was selected to finish first in the poll. Drexel and Hofstra rounded out the top three in the poll.

WELCOME TO THE PACK: Head Coach Niki Reid Geckeler and the Tigers will welcome a large group of newcomers to the roster this year. Towson has three true freshmen, three transfers and a redshirt senior who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. Sianni Martin, AJ Timbers and Brittany Tarr all have a chance to kick off their collegiate careers Saturday. Raine and Raven Bankston give the Tigers a solid scoring combination after transferring from Delaware State mid-season last year. Maia Lee joined the Tigers from Old Dominion but will have to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules. Brianna Taylor is eligible for the Tigers after sitting out last season. In addition, the Tigers have a pair of new assistant coaches in Erin Dickerson and Erica Williamson.

I'M HONORED: One of the Tigers' seniors was honored as the Preseason All-CAA teams were released at Media Day last month. Senior guard Dominique Johnson earned Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention accolades for the second straight season. A constant in the Tiger line-up throughout her career, she averaged 13.2 points per game and knocked down 71 three-pointers for the Tigers last season.

GAME TIME SET: The game time for the Tigers' home opener against Coppin State has now officially been set. The Tigers and Eagles will tip things off at 4 p.m. in SECU Arena on Sunday, Nov. 22.

GOING DEEP: Towson senior guard Dominique Johnson enters her final season wearing the black and gold with her name firmly entrenched in the Tiger record book. Through three seasons Johnson has connected on 156 career three-pointers, which ranks second in school history. Her 71 triples last season ranked second in single-season history at Towson. Johnson needs 35 more three-pointers to break the school record for career three-pointers. The current school record for three-pointers made is 190 set by Mia Chapman.

NEW RULES TO LIVE BY: There are several rules changes in women's basketball this year that players and fans alike will have to adjust to. Games will be played in four 10 minute quarters this season instead of two 20 minute halves. Coaches will have four timeouts to use instead of five. Coaches can call one full timeout and three 30 second timeouts this season. The media timeouts will accur at the first deadball after the five minute mark of each quarter and will be 2:45 in length. When teams reach five fouls in a quarter, the opposing team will get two foul shots. There is no more one-and-one situations and the fouls will reset for each quarter.

UP NEXT: The Tigers remain on the road as they travel to former CAA foe, George Mason on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.