The Game: Towson (0-0, 0-0 CAA) vs. Frostburg State (0-0, 0-0 MEC)
When: Tuesday, Nov. 9 – 7 p.m.
Where: SECU Arena - Towson, Md.
Series: Towson leads, 13-0
TOWSON, Md. — The Towson women's basketball team is ready to kick off the 2021-22 season with its home opener against Frostburg State on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. at SECU Areana.
Head coach Diane Richardson will begin her fifth season at the helm of the Tigers with the first of a 31-game campaign.
2020-21 Refresher
The black & gold finished the 2020-21 season with a 13-9 overall record as well as an 8-6 mark in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play.
The untraditional season was highlighted by regular season sweeps over conference foes, the College of Charleston and Hofstra. The team also came out on top against James Madison at home and on senior day against Drexel.
Standouts Allie Kubek and Aleah Nelson are set to return to the floor for the Tigers this season. Kubek led the squad as a freshman with 7.1 boards per game. She also added 8.8 points per contest. Nelson topped the conference with 130 total assists and 5.9 helpers per night.
The Returners
Towson's lineup will feature six returners in addition to nine new faces. Starters Kubek and Nelson lead the way in addition to veterans Skye Williams, Narrie Dodson, Kiara Johnson and Tarriyonna Gary.
Transferring In
In the offseason, the Tigers welcomed five transfers for the start of the 2021-22 season in Ryann Evans (East Carolina), Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (Virginia), Jamey Napoleon (Central Connecticut State), Anissa Rivera (North Carolina Central) and Rayne Tucker (James Madison).
With the exception of Kornegay-Lucas who is a redshirt sophomore, all of the incoming transfers are juniors.
Fresh Faces
Towson also brought three rookies in to join the team with Ciara Bailey, Mariah Wilson and Quinzia Fulmore.
All-CAA Preseason Praise
Nelson, Tucker and Rivera all picked up Preseason CAA accolades late in the month of October. Nelson earned an All-CAA second-team selection as Tucker and Rivera were both named honorable mentions.
Nelson ranked second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per contest. The Baltimore native reached double digits in 16 contests and scored +15 points eight times.
Tucker averaged 10.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest during her sophomore campaign in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The junior transfer paced the Dukes in both total blocks (26) and blocks per game (1.2, third in CAA). She secured three double-doubles in the 2020-21 season, including a 26-point, 10 rebound performance against Delaware (2/20) which earned her CAA Player of the Week (2/22).
Rivera ended the regular season ranked at the top of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with averages of 16.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per contest. Nationally, Rivera ranked sixth out of all NCAA Division I players with 3.07 blocks per game at the end of the regular season. At the finish of the 2020-21 season, the forward earned the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year award in addition to being named a First Team All-MEAC and a BOXTOROW First Team All-American.
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Delaware/Drexel (77)
3. James Madison (64)
4. Towson (58)
5. Hofstra (47)
6. Elon (38)
7. William and Mary (29)
8. UNCW (15)
9. Northeastern (12)
Staff Updates
Myles Jackson, Jasmine Allen and Aaron Thomas have all been elevated to new acting roles on the Towson women's basketball coaching staff.
After being promoted to Director of Basketball Operations in 2019, Jackson has been named the acting Assistant Coach. In turn, Allen was been elevated to the acting Director of Basketball Operations and Thomas has been brought on as the acting Assistant Director of Basketball Operations.
All three will be in an acting capacity until a full recruitment is conducted after the season.
Coming Home
Five of 14 student-athletes on Towson's roster represent their home state of Maryland. Nelson is the loan Baltimore native while Kubek (Elkton), Evans (Columbia), Tucker (New Carrollton) and Rivera (Capitol Heights) are also from close by.
Back in SECU (with fans)
After 618 days, Towson will finally welcome fans back to SECU Arena. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Tigers last hosted fans on March 1, 2020 for senior day against Drexel.
Scouting the Bobcats
Frostburg State finished the 2020-21 season with a 2-14 record against only Mountain East Conference opponents.
Returning senior guard Morgan Dombroski led the team last season averaging 13.6 points per game. She also totaled 30 assists and 34 steals. Returning junior forward Arianna Briggs-Hall paced the Bob Cats with 6.0 boards per contest. She also ranked third on the team in scoring, averaging 9.3 points.
The Tigers will see one familiar face on the court come Tuesday night with the return of Maggie Sharp. The junior guard transferred to Frostburg at the conclusion of the 2020-21 slate after two seasons in Towson.
Alma Mater
Diane Richardson will face her alma mater on opening night in Frostburg State. Richardson graduated in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology.
Richardson is not the only coach that will face her alma mater this season as the Tigers are set to take on Howard (Nov. 27), assistant coach Cheyenne Curley's alma mater.
Looking Ahead
After hosting the Bobcats, the Tigers will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina for the WNIT Preseason Classic hosted by N.C. State. At the tournament, the team will play a total of three games against Florida (11/12), Wofford (11/14) and the Wolfpack (11/15) at James T. Valvano Arena at William Neal Reynolds Coliseum.
Following seven days on the road, Towson will play at home for the remainder of November, welcoming Millersville (11/23), Howard (11/27) and Delaware State (11/29).
Tigers in the Community
For the 7th 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 #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. The Tigers won the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award from Susan G. Komen of Maryland.
