Washington D.C. — The Towson University women's basketball team will travel to face American on Saturday, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. to finish out its three-game road trip.
With a 70-56 win over UMass Lowell on Wednesday, the Tigers (8-1, 0-0) have won five straight games, including their two most recent bouts on the road. The Eagles (6-2, 0-0 Patriot) have also been on a hot streak, winning four consecutive contests with a win over Virginia on Dec. 7, 69-56.
American owns the 9-8 edge in the all-time series between the two programs. However, Towson has won the last three meetings.
Comin' In Hot
With five consecutive wins, the Tigers improve to 8-1 on the 2021-22 season. The hot start is the best since the 2006-07 campaign when the team came out to a 10-1 mark. That season, Towson earned five consecutive wins before dropping a contest to Wake Forrest. The team then went onto win five more games before falling to James Madison.
Last Time Out
Three double-digit scorers led Towson to its eighth win of the season over UMass Lowell on Wednesday afternoon. Aleah Nelson led the way with 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists while Allie Kubek (16) and Skye Williams (10) also joined her in double figures. In addition, Rayne Tucker added seven points, eight boards and season-best four blocks.
D-FENSE!
The black & gold held the River Hawks to 29.3 (17-of-58) shooting from the field during Wednesday's game. The team has held four of its last five opponents to less than 30 percent shooting in a game. The other instances were against Millersville (19.1 percent, 9-of-47) Howard (25.4 percent, 18-of-7) and East Carolina (25.3 percent, 19-of-75).
Towson also held UMass Lowell to just six points in the opening quarter. The effort marks the seventh time this season the team has held an opponent to less than 10 points in a period.
First Half Team
When leading at the half, the Tigers own an 8-0 record. The team has led by 20+ points at the half twice this season, against both Millersville (24) and Howard (23). Both games Towson scored over 40 points through the first two quarter.
Making Some Noise
Towson moved up to No. 21 in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll on Tuesday Dec. 7. The Tigers previously made their debut in the roll at No. 25 on Nov. 30 after receiving votes in prior weeks.
BYU sits atop the standings with a perfect 8-0 record while Missouri State (6-2), FGCU (7-1), Gonzaga (7-2) and Stephen G. Austin (8-1) round out the top-5.
Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) foe Delaware also joins Towson in the rankings at No. 15. In addition, future 2021-22 opponent Princeton is currently No. 6.
Coming Home
Five of 14 student-athletes on Towson's roster represent their home state of Maryland. Nelson is the lone Baltimore native while Kubek (Elkton), Evans (Columbia), Tucker (New Carrollton) and Rivera (Capitol Heights) are also from close by.
In The Rankings
After nine games, Towson continues to be well represented in the NCAA rankings, sitting top-20 in seven categories while leading the CAA in 11. The Tigers are still one of the best rebounding team in the country, ranked 10th in rebounds per game (46.0), 16th in offensive boards per game (16.2) and 18th total rebounds (414). The team also sits at 12th in field goal percentage defense (32.2) and 19th in scoring offense (79.9).
Nelson also remains competitive, especially in assists. The junior is fifth in total helpers (58) and eighth in dimes per game (6.4).
Scouting The Eagles
American is coming off an impressive win, defeating Virginia on the road, 69-56. The victory marks the program's first against a power five school since 2017 and the first while playing at a power five since 1998. After starting the first four games of the season on the road, the Eagles defeated George Mason, UMBC and Radford to earn a perfect 3-0 record at home.
Jade Edwards paces her team averaging 13.5 points while adding 5.3 rebounds per game. Against Virginia, the senior came within one point of the program's first double-double. Taylor Brown leads American off the glass, averaging 6.1 boards. The pair has also collected 18 steals apiece.
Missing Home
Following Saturday's game, the Tigers will return to SECU Arena after 15 days away for their lone home game in the month of December. The team will welcome Memphis on Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 4 p.m. The black & gold won't be back in front of a home crowd again until Friday, Jan. 7 when they welcome Elon.
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.
