CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Towson University women's basketball team (12-3, 3-1) is set to travel South Carolina for another Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) road game against Charleston (9-6, 1-3) on Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. at TD Arena in downtown Charleston, South Carolina.
(UPDATE: The game has been moved up to 2 p.m. due to expected inclement weather in the area.)
Towson fell in their last outing in a tight decision to Drexel for their first conference defeat. Charleston pulled out their first league win of the season, with a win over William & Mary.
The Tigers lead the all-time series over the Cougars, 14-4. The black & gold have won the last seven meetings between the two teams, completing sweeps the past three seasons.
Last Time Out
Three Tigers reached double-digit scoring as Towson team fell in its first CAA road trip of the season to Drexel, 58-54.
Tarriyonna Gary led the black & gold offense netting 14 points, shooting 5-of-7 from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. She also added seven boards. Allie Kubek (13) and Aleah Nelson (12) followed with solid performances.
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 James Madison, 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 paces the Tiger offense, averaging 16.2 points per game to rank 4th in the conference. Kubek also leads the team with a 55.4 field goal percentage.
The 6-foot-1 forward is dangerous on defense as well, ranked third on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game in addition to registering 18 steals and 14 blocks.
Tigers Dominate CAA Player of the Night
With some great individual performances to kick off conference play, the Tigers have won three CAA Player of the Night honors this season. 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
Drexel (5-0) and Delaware (4-0) sit atop the CAA standings, having not dropped a game in league play. Towson (3-1) is currently alone in second place, as every other CAA team has two or more losses in league play.
Home Sweet Home
Towson is a perfect 7-0 while playing 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 22 total steals through 15 games.
Towson has generated 299 total points this season off turnovers, for 19.9 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 14 of 15 outings so far this season. Kubek has now also scored 10+ points in 14 of 15 contests, including the last ten games.
When Towson nets 60+ points, the squad is 12-0.
Making Some Noise
Towson currently sits at No. 18 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, released Jan. 18. The team was previously ranked No. 15.
BYU (14-1) remains in the top spot while FGCU (15-1), Missouri State (11-3), California Baptist (13-2) and Gonzaga (12-4) complete the top-5.
The Tigers are joined by conference foe Drexel (13-2, 5-0) in the poll as they are slotted at No. 15. James Madison (6-9, 2-2) continues to receive votes.
The black & gold are still highest ranked CAA team in the NCAA NET rankings, sitting at No. 80.
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 five categories and first in six CAA stats.
The Tigers are still among the best rebounding teams in the country, ranking 12th in rebounds per game (44.47) and 19th in offensive boards per game (15.6). The team also currently sits 19th in field goal percentage defense (34.9) and 22nd in scoring margin (16.5).
Scouting The Cougars
After a rocky nonconference slate, Charleston turned things up at the right time with five consecutive wins going into CAA play. However, the momentum did not carry over as the Cougars dropped their first three league games to Drexel (61-60), Delaware (86-84 OT) and Elon (65-60). The team picked up its first CAA win in their most recent outing against William & Mary, 87-71.
Anika McGarity leads her team with 14.4 points per game. She also tops the conference with 3.2 three-pointers per game. The offense goes through Jenna Annecchiarico however, as the junior has dished out 94 assists in addition to 51 steals to lead the CAA in both stats.
Peyton Martin leads CofC of the glass, averaging 10.0 boards. Arynn Eady also plays a pivotal role in the defense, leading the conference with 32 total blocks.
Next Up
Towson will continue its trip down south as they ready to face UNCW on Jan. 23 at 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.
