PRINCETON, N.J. – The Towson University women's basketball team fell in its final nonconference contest of the season to Princeton, 68-54, on Wednesday night.
Allie Kubek scored a team-high 19 points in the outing, hitting 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. In addition, the sophomore added eight rebounds. Aleah Nelson also reached double figures with 13 points while contributing a team-best three assists.
Rayne Tucker paced the Tigers off the boards, securing 11 rebounds to tie her season-high. She also grabbed three steals. Anissa Rivera too had a solid night, registering eight points and seven rebounds.
Records
How it Happened
- Princeton got out to an early 6-0 lead, just two minutes into competition. Tarriyonna Gary quickly cut the lead in half though, with a three-pointer. Princeton followed up with yet another six-point stretch to force a Towson timeout just before the halfway point of the period.
- The teams traded possessions toward the end of the opening quarter. Both squads played strong defense, as neither allowed a basket for almost 3:00. Princeton ended the first up by three, 14-11.
- The strong defensive presence carried into the second quarter. Princeton scored two early but then both teams approached the seventh minute having not found the rim.
- As the middle of the period came, Towson went on its own 9-0 run, holding Princeton to 1-of-4 from the field and 0-of-5 from deep in the span.
- Kylie Kornegay-Lucas gave the black & gold the edge, drawing fouls on consecutive possessions. She went 3-of-4 from the line to put Towson up by two, 20-18.
- The programs ended the second by trading the lead back-and-forth, but it was Princeton who went into the locker room with the slight advantage, 27-25.
- Both teams came out of halftime looking for the lead. Kornegay-Lucas re-entered the game and cashed in on a driving layup to tie the contest, 33-33. Princeton quickly countered but Kubek, this time, answered with a three-point field goal to knot things back up, 36-36.
- The score stayed within three points for the remainder of the period. Towson held Princeton to 29.4 percent shooting in the third.
- Tucker hit her first field goal of the night to give Towson the 42-41 lead at the start of the fourth. Following the score, Princeton came back to net 13 unanswered points and reclaimed the 54-42 lead.
- After trailing by 12 at the 4:20 media timeout, Towson rallied to score seven points and put the game within single digits, 56-51. Princeton did not let up however, continuing to go to the rim to solidify the 68-54 victory.
Inside the Numbers
- The 68-54 decision marks the first time Towson has fallen since Nov. 15, 2021. The black & gold had gone 58 days without dropping a game.
- At least two Tigers have cracked double figures in twelve of thirteen outings so far this season. Nelson and Kubek have now also scored 10+ points in twelve of thirteen contests.
- With three assists on Wednesday night, Nelson has now led the team (or tied to lead the team) in the stat in all but one game this season.
- As one of the best rebounding teams in the country, Towson won the fight off the glass, securing 47 total boards to Princeton's 44.
- Princeton is ranked No. 6 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. Towson currently sits at No. 15.
Next Game
The Tigers will prepare to play four Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) games in just eight days. The team will host James Madison on Jan. 16 at 2 p.m. before hitting the road for a quick turnaround to play a rescheduled game at Drexel, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. Towson will then travel to the Carolinas for a pair of road contests against Charleston (Jan. 21, 7 p.m.) and UNCW (Jan. 23, 1 p.m.).
