UPPER MARLBORO, Md. – The No. 8 Towson University women's basketball team rallied from a 10-point deficit for a 79-70 win over No. 9 College of Charleston in the first game of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. The Tigers won a CAA Tournament game for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

"It was a great effort by our young women today, we didn't come out as strong as we would have liked but we reminded them to relax and focus on the game plan," said Towson Head Coach Niki Reid Geckeler. "Today's win is huge for our young woman and for the growth of the program.

"This win means a lot to us, especially the seniors," said senior guard Ciara Webb. "Now we've got to work and prepare for the next game."

Tied at 8-8 in the first half, the Cougars used a 10-0 run to take an 18-8 lead with 12:42 remaining in the half. Breanna Bolden scored eight of College of Charleston's 10 during that stretch. Redshirt senior forward LaTorri Hines-Allen halted the Cougars run with a jumper at 12:22. That basket started a 14-2 run by the Tigers which gave Towson a 22-20 lead with 7:21 left in the half. Junior guard Dominique Johnson drained a pair of three-pointers during that scoring spurt while Webb and Hines-Allen each contributed four points.

The Cougars scored nine of the game's next 11 points and led 29-24 with just 4:49 to go in the half. Bolden had four of College of Charleston's nine during that stretch. Towson responded by scoring 11 of the final 15 points in the half and took a 35-33 lead at the break. Hines-Allen and senior guard Markell Smith each had four points during that run.

College of Charleston shot 51.9% from the field in the first half while the Tigers shot 46.7%. Both teams pulled down 15 first half rebounds. Bolden led all scorers with 18 points in the first 20 minutes while Johnson (11) and Hines-Allen (10) were both in double figures for the Tigers.

Towson forced a turnover by the Cougars on the first possession of the second half and proceeded to go on a 13-6 run. That gave Towson (11-20) a 48-39 lead with 15:01 to play in the game. Webb hit a pair of triples while senior forward Camille Alberson also connected from behind the arc. Webb's third three-pointer of the half gave Towson a 51-41 lead with 14:20 to play and forced College of Charleston to call timeout. The two teams seemed to have an answer for each other on each of the court as they traded baskets over the next several minutes. Shanique Heard hit a jumper at 3:52 which pulled the Cougars to within five, 63-58.

However the Tigers responded with a bucket from Hines-Allen and a pair of free throws from Johnson and pushed the lead back to nine, 67-58 with 3:14 to play. The two teams continued to battle but the Tigers went 12-for-18 from the foul line in the final two minutes to seal with 79-70 victory.

College of Charleston shot 48.1% from the field in the second half and 50% for the game. Towson shot 38.7% in the second half and 42.6% for the game. Each team grabbed 35 rebounds.

Hines-Allen had 26 points and 11 rebounds for her 14^th double-double of the year. That is the most double-doubles by a Tiger since Debbie Oraczewski had 14 during the 1985-86 season. She also added three assists, two steals and a block. Webb contributed 18 points and six rebounds while Johnson had 16 points and four steals. Johnson was an impressive 10-for-13 from the foul line in the game.

Bolden led the Cougars with a game-high 28 points.

Towson will be back in action on Friday, March 13 when it faces No. 1 James Madison at 12 p.m. in quarterfinal action at the Show Place Arena.