Greenville, N.C. — The Towson University women's basketball team will begin its three-game road trip with East Carolina on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 12 p.m.
This will be the Tigers' first time on the road since Nov. 15 when the team competed at the WNIT Preseason Classic.
Hot Start
After three consecutive wins over Millersville (95-46), Howard (96-52) and Delaware State (76-47) the team is now 6-1 on the season.
The start marks the best for the team since the 2016-17 campaign when the team started off with the same record. The 2016-17 squad defeated UMass Lowell, Wagner, Cornell, UMBC, George Mason and Coppin State while losing to Georgetown during the run.
Last Time Out
The Tigers picked up two wins in the span of four days, with victories over Howard of and Delaware State.
Aleah Nelson continued to stay at the top of the stat sheet, averaging 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds.7.5 assists and 3.5 steals through the pair of contests. Anissa Rivera also averaged 14.5 points and 7.5 boards and dropped a game-high 22 points against Howard. Allie Kubek too stayed consistent, putting up 15 points and 7.5 rebounds over the two games.
Tarriyonna Gary also played exceptionally well, reaching double-digit scoring in both outings. The sophomore standout also earned six steals over the Bison and grabbed eight off the glass against the Hornets to set career-highs in both categories.
Making Some Noise
Towson made its debut at No. 25 in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll on Tuesday Nov. 30. The Tigers previously received votes in the poll in 2019 and reached the rank of No. 23 in 2012.
Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) foe Delaware sits at No. 16 in the poll while future 2021-22 opponent Princeton also ranks No. 8.
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
Towson remains prevalent among the NCAA rankings seven games into the season. The Tigers are in the top-50 in 15 categories and top-30 in seven. The team ranks 11th in scoring offense (83.3) and rebounds per game (46.71) while also sitting at 13th in offensive rebounds (16.7).
Nelson remains competitive in the national rankings, sitting top-20 in three columns. The junior is currently 11th in assists (45) and assists per game (6.4) in addition to being 18th in assist turnover ratio (3.46). Joining her, Kubek also ranks 26th in the country in field goal percentage (59.5).
Spreading The Love
In three of seven games this season, every Tiger who has stepped on the court has scored at least two points. All 10 Tigers who dressed, scored against Frostburg State while all 11 Tigers who put on the black & gold found the basket against Millersville and Delaware State.
Nelson has also reached double-digits scoring in all seven contests while Kubek and Gary have achieved the feat in six of seven outings.
With five Tigers in double-digits against the Bison and four against the Hornets, at least three players have netted 10+ points in six of seven contests so far this season.
Scouting East Carolina
After starting its season off with two losses, East Carolina has improved to 4-4 just five games before conference play kicks off. All four of the team's wins have come at home. Most recently, the Pirates dropped a 65-48 contest to VCU on Dec. 1.
Taniyah Thompson leads her team in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game. Off the glass, Tiara Chambers paces her team with 5.3 boards per outing. She also boasts a team-high 13 blocks.
Last Time Out Against the Pirates
The Tigers opened last season against the Pirates, welcoming them to SECU Arena on Nov. 25, 2020. Towson earned the 89-81 victory to collect its first win over East Carolina in program history.
Saturday's contest will only mark the third time the two programs have met as the all-time series is tied 1-1.
The Common Denominator
Junior Ryann Evans transferred from East Carolina at the close of the 2020-21 season after playing ini Greenville, North Carolina for two seasons.
Through seven games with the Tigers the Columbia, Maryland native has proved to be quite the asset for the team. She paces Towson off the boards, averaging 7.7 rebounds per game while also adding a team-high 15 steals. She ranks second in the stats with 13 assists and has started all seven games thus far.
On the Road Again and Again and Again
East Carolina will be the first of a three-game road stand for Towson. After facing the Pirates, the team will travel to take on UMass Lowell on Dec. 8 (3 p.m.) followed by a daytrip to American on Dec. 11 (2 p.m.).
The Tigers lone home game in the month of December will be on the 14th when they will welcome Memphis to SECU Arena for a 4 p.m. showdown. The Towson men's basketball team will also host UNC Greensboro at 7 p.m. that same night to make for an exciting doubleheader.
The black & gold will finish out the final two weeks of the month on the road once again, traveling to Penn State on Dec. 22 (12 p.m.) and kicking off conference plat against Drexel on Dec. 31 (2 p.m.).
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.
