PHILADELPHIA — The Towson University women's basketball team (12-2, 3-0) will travel to Drexel (12-2, 4-0 CAA) for its first road Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) game of the season on Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m.
The Tigers have won nine of their last 10 games and all three of their conference contests so far. Drexel has won its past nine outings, including four straight league games.
The Dragons own the 6-3 all-time edge, although the black & gold won the last meeting, 77-62, on Feb. 21, 2021.
Last Time Out
Towson handed James Madison its first CAA loss of the season on Sunday afternoon, 79-70. With the win, the Tigers remain unbeaten in SECU Arena and in the conference.
Allie Kubek led the offense, netting a career-high 28 points while adding eight boards, two steals and a block. The sophomore shot 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, her third consecutive performance with at least three three-point field goals.
Anissa Rivera also contributed 20 points, three three's and two steals. Rayne Tucker produced a big game against her former team as well, scoring 11 points in addition to eight rebounds and two steals.
Kubek Selected as CAA Player of the Week AGAIN
After a high-scoring week, Kubek was selected as the CAA Player of the Week. The honor marks her second of the season as she also earned the praise on Dec. 13.
Last week against both Princeton and JMU, the sophomore averaged 23.5 points with 8.0 rebounds per game and she shot 56.7% (17-30) from the floor, including 75.0% (6-8) from three.
The Elkton, Maryland native has hit at least three three-point field goals in three consecutive outings. She is tied with Nelson to pace the Tiger offense, averaging 16.4 points per game to rank 4th in the conference. Kubek also leads the team with a 57.4 field goal percentage and a 37.8 three-point field goal percentage.
The 6-foot-1 forward is dangerous on defense as well, ranked third on the team with 6.2 rebounds per game and second with 13 total blocks.
Tigers Dominate CAA Player of the Night
As Towson is 3-0 in conference play, the team is also 3-0 in winning CAA Player of the Night honors. The poll is decided by the fans and run from the CAA Basketball Twitter account (@CAABasketball).
Anissa Rivera (23p, 9r, 3s) won the honor after the black & gold defeated Elon, 66-54, and Aleah Nelson (25p, 5a, 3s) followed as the team defeated WIlliam & Mary, 91-55. Kubek (28p, 8r, 2s) gave the Tigers their third after a victory over JMU, 79-70.
In The CAA
Towson, Drexel and Delaware sit atop the CAA standings, having not dropped a game in league play. The Tigers and Blue Hens are 3-0 in conference while the Dragons have one more game under their belt to boast a 4-0 mark.
Towson and Drexel both own 12-2 overall records for the highest winning percentage in the CAA (.857).
Home Sweet Home
Towson is a perfect 7-0 while playing at home in SECU Arena.
The team has reached over 70 points six times and over 90 points on four occasions while at home.
D-FENSE!
The black & gold have held eight opponents to under 35.5 percent shooting in a game this season. Towson kept Frostburg State (32.8 percent, 19-of-58), Florida (35.2 percent, 25-of-71), Wofford (30.2 percent, 19-of-63), Millersville (19.1 percent, 9-of-47), Howard (25.4 percent, 18-of-71), Delaware State (32.7 percent, 18-of-55), East Carolina (25.3 percent, 19-of-75) and UMass Lowell (29.3 percent, 17-of-58) all below the mark.
The team has also held its opponents to less than 10 points in a quarter eight times this season. The Tigers most recently held the Dukes to just nine points in the opening quarter.
Towson has kept pressure on the ball, registering six double-digit steal games, led by a season-high 18 takeaway performance against Millersville. Nelson leads the squad with 21 total steals through 12 games.
Towson has generated 290 total points this season off turnovers, for 20.7 points per game.
First Half Team
When leading at halftime, the Tigers own a 12-0 record. The team has led by 20+ points at the half three times this season, against Millersville (24) Howard (23) and William & Mary (24). In all three games, Towson scored over 40 points through the first two quarters.
Prolific Scoring
At least two Tigers have cracked double figures in 13 of 14 outings so far this season. Kubek has now also scored 10+ points in 13 of 14 contests, including the last nine games.
When at least three players reach double-digit scoring, the team is 12-0.
In addition, when Towson nets 60+ points, the squad is 12-0.
Making Some Noise
Towson jumped up to No. 15 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, released Jan. 11. The team was previously ranked No. 18.
BYU (12-1) overtook the top spot from Missouri State (10-2) after sitting in second for several weeks. FGCU (13-1), California Baptist (11-2) and Gonzaga (10-4) complete the top-5.
The Tigers are the highest ranked Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) team in the poll, as Drexel (10-2) re-entered the standings at No. 19. James Madison (6-7) is also still receiving votes.
The black & gold are the highest ranked CAA team in the NCAA NET rankings, sitting at 73.
Coming Home
Five of 14 student-athletes on Towson's roster represent their home state of Maryland. Aleah Nelson is the lone Baltimore native while Allie Kubek (Elkton), Ryann Evans (Columbia), Rayne Tucker (New Carrollton) and Anissa Rivera (Capitol Heights) are also from close by.
In The Rankings
Towson continues to be well represented in the NCAA rankings, sitting top-30 in six categories and first in eight CAA stats.
The Tigers are still among the best rebounding teams in the country, ranking eighth in rebounds per game (44.79) and 14th in offensive boards per game (15.9). The team also currently sits 15th in scoring margin (17.9) and 18th in field goal percentage defense (34.8). The black & gold lead the CAA in all four categories mentioned.
Scouting The Dragons
Drexel has won nine straight contests for a 12-2 start, the best in program history. The Dragons have also won four consecutive conference matchups, although two have been decided by three points or less.
Keishana Washington leads her team, averaging 17.8 points per game. She has reached double figures in all 14 outings and scored a season-high 33 against Charleston (Jan. 7). Bucknell transfer, Tessa Brugler, leads the Dragons off the boards, averaging 9.4 rebounds. She has also registered a team-high 19 blocks.
Next Up
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.).
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.
