TOWSON, Md. – This weekend kicks off conference play for the Towson University women's basketball team. The Tigers continue their five-game homestand against Elon on Friday and William & Mary on Sunday.
 
The opening weekend of Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) action will be a part of Towson's Holiday Hoops promotion, tickets for each game are just $5. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-855-TU-Tiger, or visiting the Towson TicketMaster page and using the promo code: Holidays. Both games will be played at SECU Arena.
 
FloSports will broadcast both of the games, audio is available from the Towson Sports Network, both platforms will have Ben Rosenbaum on the call. Live stats will be running from TowsonTigers.com, for all streaming links please visit the women's basketball schedule page.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Towson is coming off a comeback win over Marshall to close out 2019. The Tigers were led by senior Nukiya Mayo with 21 points and the game-winning three. Kionna Jeter and Q. Murray also finished with double figures, 15 and 13 points respectively. The Herd led to start the game before Towson fought back in the second quarter, trailing by one point to enter the half. Back-and-forth scoring ensued in the third and fourth quarters, with a tied game 56-56 with 26 seconds to go. Murray set up the next play on Towson's possession and dribbled down time on the clock, passing the ball to Mayo who drained the three with two seconds left on the clock. Marshall missed its three-point attempt, as the Tigers took the win.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Towson enters the weekend with a 4-6 record with wins over American, Iona, Marshall and Mount St. Mary's. Leading the offense is Kionna Jeter with 18.1 points and seven rebounds per game. Nukiya Mayo is second in scoring with 15 points per night, she is also averaging 6.8 rebounds per game. Q. Murray rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10.4 points per game, she also leads the Tigers in assists with 4.9 per game.
 
THE ELON SERIES
Friday will be the 11th meeting between Towson and Elon, the Phoenix lead the series 7-3. Towson won both games against Elon last season, a 59-58 victory at home last January and 59-50 on the road last February. The Tigers' one other win over the Phoenix came in the 2015-16 season at home. In SECU Arena against Elon, Towson is 2-3.
 
SCOUTING THE PHOENIX
Elon sits at 5-6 following its nonconference slate. The Phoenix took notable wins over Appalachian State, UNLV and Furman. In the loss column are meetings with No.9 N.C. State, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Coastal Carolina and Marist. Leading the offense is Brie Perpignan with 10.5 points per game. Maya Johnson is leading the team in rebounds with 5.3 per game while Perpignan paces the team in assists with 2.7 on average. Entering the weekend Elon is fifth in the CAA standings.
 
THE WILLIAM & MARY SERIES
Sunday will be the 36th meeting between Towson and The College of William & Mary. The Tribe lead the series 19-16, last season the wins were split with one for each team. The Tigers have won four of the last seven meetings, including the most recent in February of 2019, an 82-75 victory. In the last four meetings at home, Towson has won once, in 2017. William & Mary won last year's meeting in SECU Arena by 11 points (80-69).
 
SCOUTING THE TRIBE
William & Mary enters the weekend with a 9-2 record, coming off a win over George Washington on Dec. 29. The Tribe are led by Eva Hodgson, averaging 18.6 points per game. Victoria Reynolds leads the team in rebounds with 5.6 per game, and is second on the team in scoring with 13.7 points per game. William & Mary has notable wins over East Carolina, Army, UMBC and VCU. The two Tribe losses thus far came to Richmond and Old Dominion. Before coming to SECU Arena on Sunday, William & Mary will face James Madison in Harrisonburg. This will be a true battle for first place of the CAA, as both teams have the same record and are tied for first.
 
TIGERS IN CAA STATS
Entering conference play, Towson's two leading scorers remain in the CAA's top 10 in scoring. Kionna Jeter's 18.1 points per game have her fourth in the league while Nukiya Mayo is sixth with her 15 points per game. The duo appear again in the rebounding top-10, Jeter is fifth and Mayo is sixth. Q. Murray is second in the CAA in assists per game. Defensively the Tigers are in the top categories again, Jeter leads the CAA in steals with 3.5 per game, Mayo is second in blocked shots and Ryan Holder joins her on the list, fourth in the CAA with 1.3 blocks per game.  Murray appears ninth in steals, averaging 1.9.
 
TIGERS IN THE COMMUNITY
The Towson University athletics department deems community service as one of its highest priorities to give back to the Greater Baltimore area. For the seventh consecutive year, the department exceeded 10,000 hours of community service to the Greater Baltimore region, finishing with 11,162 hours of community service in the 2018-19 academic season. Towson ranked No. 1 nationally for community service and won the 2018 National Championship for Community Service through the Helper Helper NCAA Team Works Competition. Towson had a 97% participation rate, attended 118 community service opportunities and volunteered with 19 organizations. Towson won the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award from Susan G. Komen of Maryland.