And So It Begins: Head coach Niki Reid Geckeler and the Towson University women's basketball team kick off their 2016-17 season on Friday, Nov. 11 when they host UMass Lowell at 7 p.m. in SECU Arena. Links to live stats and the Towson Sports Network video feed can be found on the schedule page of TowsonTigers.com. TSN's Ben Rosenbaum and Ian Jett will have the call of the game starting at 6:45 p.m. Fans can also follow the Tigers on Twitter (@Towson_WBB) for updates. Friday night will also be the team's "Gold Rush" game and all fans are encouraged to wear their gold.

Chalk Talk: Fans are invited to join head coach Niki Reid Geckeler on the suite level at 6:40 for a chalk talk before the game.

Series History: Towson welcomes a brand new opponent to SECU Arena Friday in UMass Lowell. It will be the first ever meeting between the Tigers and the Riverhawks. It is also the first of three meetings for the Tigers this season against new opponents (UMass Lowell, Wagner, Colgate). UMass Lowell is a member of the America East. The Tigers, who were members of the America East from 1995-2001, have faced every current member of the America East except Binghamton and UMass Lowell. Towson's best record against an America East program is a 36-14 mark versus local rival, UMBC.

Welcome to the Pack: Head Coach Niki Reid Geckeler and the Tigers will welcome a group of newcomers to the roster this year. Towson has three true freshmen and a pair of transfers joining the roster. Nukiya Mayo, Etalyia Vogt and Mariah Gray all have a chance to kick off their collegiate careers Friday.
Maia Lee becomes eligible after having to sit out last year after joining the Tigers from Old Dominion. She has three years of eligiblity remaining as a redshirt sophomore. Mary Cuevas joins the Tigers from ASA Junior College. She has two years of eligiblity at Towson as she is a junior. In addition, the Tigers have a pair of new assistant coaches in Sidney Raikes and Brian Davis.

I'm Honored: One of the Tigers' seniors was honored as the Preseason All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) teams were released at Media Day last month.
Senior guard Raven Bankston earned Preseason Second Team All-CAA accolades. Bankston appeared in 30 games last season and made 29 starts for the Tigers. She was named Third Team All-CAA after finishing second in the CAA in scoring (15.5 ppg) and in steals (2.3 ppg).

Let's Get This Thing Started: The Tigers kick off their 35th season as a Division I program and 16th as a member of the CAA Friday. It is the Tigers' fourth season under the direction of head coach Niki Reid Geckeler. The Tigers are opening the season at home for the first time since the 2013-14 season when they hosted Navy to open SECU Arena. The Tigers will be looking for their first win in a season opener since the 2012-13 season when they beat Manhattan in overtime. The Tigers are 13-5 when playing their season opener at home.

I'll Take That: The Tigers found plenty of success when it came to stealing the ball last season. Towson finished second in the CAA while averaging 8.4 steals per game. Last season the Tigers had 11 games in which they recorded double-digit steals. Towson recorded five or more steals in 29 of its 31 games.
Eight Tigers recorded 10 or more steals last season. That group was led by Raven Bankston with 70 while Sianni Martin added 41.

Up Next: The Tigers play their second straight game against an opponent they have never faced before on Thursday, Nov. 17. Towson travels to Wagner for a 7 p.m. game. The Tigers then return home to host Cornell on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 12 noon. That contest will be a special throwback game as the Tigers host the Big Red in the Towson Center.