TOWSON, Md. – For the third time this season the Towson University women's basketball team faces the first-place team in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), with a Sunday game against James Madison.
 
Tip is set for 2 p.m. in SECU Arena with a black out theme and a celebration of women's basketball alumnae to take place during halftime. The game will be streamed on the Towson Sports Network, available on TowsonTigers.com, with Ben Rosenbaum on the call.
 
Last Time Out
Towson is coming off a 59-50 victory at Elon on Sunday. The two teams were tied at the end of the first quarter 12-12, as the Tigers won the second period 15-12 to enter the halftime with a three-point lead. Junior Nukiya Mayo led the way with 18 points, nine in each half, to push the road team to victory. In the third quarter, Towson led by six with seven minutes remaining in the period before the Phoenix tied it up with 4:18 left. A two-minute scoring drought began before the Tigers broke the silence, leading by seven to end the period. The closest Elon would get was a four-point differential with 6:32 to go.
 
The JMU Series: Dukes lead 43-5
Sunday will be the 49^th meeting between Towson and James Madison, a series dating back to 1980. The Tigers have won four games at home against the Dukes, the last home victory coming Jan. 8, 2017 with a 54-51 final. Towson has only defeated James Madison in Harrisonburg once, also in the 2017 season and has never won against JMU in neutral territory. The Tigers have lost the last three meetings with the Dukes. With the schedule this season, Towson's first game against James Madison took place in the final week of the first round of CAA action and the two teams haven't seen each other for a month since.
 
Last Time Against James Madison
This season's only overtime game took place in Harrisonburg, Virginia on February 3^rd. The Tigers won the first quarter with a 17-9 score at the end. Nukiya Mayo and Kionna Jeter scored four points each while holding the home team under 10 points and to a shooting percentage of 25. In the second quarter the roles reversed as Towson scored eight points and JMU dropped 18. Entering the halftime the Dukes led by two 27-25. The road team hit a stride in the third quarter, shooting 47.1 percent and reaching a nine-point lead to enter the fourth. Two fouls early in the fourth and three layups hurt the Tigers as James Madison came within one point of tying the game. Towson fought back, leading by six with 3:32 to go, but the Dukes tied the game for the sixth time of the day. The Tigers fell in overtime scoring only four points while JMU dropped 16, winning the game 71-59.
 
Scouting the Tigers (17-9, 11-4 CAA)
Towson currently holds sole possession of third place in the CAA standings. The Tigers have won their last four straight games, and five of the last six after splitting a weekend at Hofstra and Northeastern. Redshirt sophomore Kionna Jeter remains the team's leading scorer, averaging 18.4 points per game while junior Nukiya Mayo is averaging 14.6. Mayo leads the team in rebounds, averaging 7.5 per game while Q. Murray is leading the team in assists with 4.6 per game. The Tigers are averaging a league high 69.9 points per game and leads the conference in blocked shots with 6.62 per game.
 
Scouting the Dukes (22-4, 14-1)
James Madison is in first place in the CAA, one of two teams in the conference with 20 or more wins. The Dukes lead the conference in rebounding offense and defensive rebounds. Kamiah Smalls, the CAA Preseason Player of the Year, leads the offense with 17.5 points per game while Kayla Cooper-Williams leads the team in rebounds with 9.6 per game. Cooper-Williams leads the conference in rebounds and blocks (2.6 per game) while Smalls leads the league in field goal percentage. James Madison's lone conference loss came to UNCW on the road. In the last two weeks the Dukes were receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll, currently they are ranked eighth in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25.
 
Only Three Remain
Three games remain in the regular season for Towson, beginning Sunday with James Madison. As the Tigers are in third place in the conference, JMU sitting in first place and Drexel in second place, the final three games could arguably be the most important games of the regular season for Towson. Next week the Tigers host Delaware on Thursday night before facing Drexel on Saturday afternoon for senior day.
 
Tigers in the Community
In February the men's and women's basketball teams paired up in support of Autism Awareness and hosted a clinic with the Hussman Center. On Wednesday the teams hosted adults with autism in SECU Arena to work on footwork, shooting and passing, and play some games. The event prefaced the two Autism Games hosted by Towson over the weekend, part of Autism Speaks Coaches Powering Forward. Click here to see a full recap and photos of the events.
 
CAA Championship Tickets on Sale
Ticket books remain on sale for the CAA Championship hosted by the University of Delaware. The championship runs March 13-16 at the Bob Carpenter Center. For a full ticket both in the section behind Towson's bench, please contact Scott Casten for more information. Ticket books start at $35 for general admission through the Delaware box office. Single game tickets begin at $8 and students who attend CAA schools receive free admission with a student ID.