WILMINGTON, N.C. — The Towson University women's basketball team (12-4, 3-2) will complete its road trip to the Carolinas against UNCW on Jan. 23 with a 1 p.m. contest.
The Tigers will look to bounce back as they have dropped their last two games and last three on the road. The Seahawks have fallen in five of their last six outings, including their last three, and have yet to win a game in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
UNCW leads Towson 25-14 in the all-time series. The two teams split last season's series, as the Tigers came out on top in game one (77-66) but fell in the second contest (75-65).
Last Time Out
Towson fell to Charleston on the road on Friday afternoon, 88-72.
Aleah Nelson and Kylie Kornegay-Lucas led the Tigers with 17 points apiece. Kornegay-Lucas also added six assists and seven rebounds. Anissa Rivera joined the pair in double figures with 13 points.
Allie Kubek ended the day with nine points, four assists, eight rebounds and a career-high four blocks. Rayne Tucker paced the team off the glass though, securing nine boards in addition to three 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 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.
In The CAA
Drexel (5-0) and Delaware (4-0) sit atop the CAA standings with unblemished records. Towson (3-2) sits in second place, tied with Northeastern and James Madison. Charleston (2-3) moved up to take lone possession of third place. Elon (1-3) and William & Mary (1-3) are in fourth with one win each followed by UNCW (0-3) and Hofstra (0-4) that have both yet to win a league match.
CAA Announces New Dates for 2022 Women's Basketball Championship
The CAA has announced a change to the dates of the 2022 CAA Women's Basketball Championship presented by Primis. The four-day single-elimination tournament will be held Thursday, March 10 through Sunday, March 13 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia, Pa. on the campus of Drexel University.
Tickets for the 2022 CAA Women's Basketball Championship presented by Primis are now on sale and can be purchased by visiting drexeltickets.com.
All-session ticket books, which provide entry for all four days, are available at the following prices: general admission - $40, Reserved - $50, and VIP Courtside - $60.
Single-day tickets will also be sold at $10 for youth general admission, $15 for adult general admission, $18 for reserved (Section 3), and $20 for VIP Courtside (Row A of Sections 6-9). Any CAA students with a valid school ID will be admitted for free.
Thursday, March 10 | First Round
Game 1: #8 Seed vs #9 Seed – 2 p.m.
Friday, March 11 | Quarterfinals
Game 2: #1 Seed vs Winner Game 1 – 12 p.m.
Game 3: #4 Seed vs #5 Seed – 2:30 p.m.
Game 4: #2 Seed vs #7 Seed – 5 p.m.
Game 5: #3 Seed vs #6 Seed – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 12 | Semifinals
Game 6: Winner Game 2 vs Winner Game 3 – 1 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs Winner Game 5 – 3:30 p.m.
Sunday March 13 | Championship
Game 8: Winner Game 6 vs Winner Game 7 – 1 p.m.
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 311 total points this season off turnovers, for 19.4 points per game.
Prolific Scoring
At least two Tigers have cracked double figures in 15 of 16 outings so far this season. Nelson and Kubek have now also scored 10+ points in 14 of 16 contests.
When Towson lands four or more players in double-digits, they are 8-0.
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 (7-9, 3-2) continues to receive votes.
The black & gold are still highest ranked CAA team in the NCAA NET rankings, sitting at No. 81.
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. The Tigers continue to be among the best rebounding teams in the country, ranking ninth in rebounds per game (44.75) and 14th in offensive boards per game (15.9).
Aleah Nelson has been consistent as the floor general, dishing out 97 total assists to rank 16th in the country. Her 6.1 helpers per game rank 11th in the nation.
Crashing The Boards
As one of the top-10 rebounding teams in the country, the black & gold have grabbed 40+ boards in all two contests so far this season. The team has also reached 50+ rebounds on three occasions.
Towson have either won the fight off the glass or tied in 11 games.
Three Tigers are currently averaging over six boards per game in Anissa Rivera (7.1), Rayne Tucker (6.5) and Allie Kubek (6.1). Rivera is the only one to hit triple digits with 114 total rebounds and Kubek follows closely behind with 98.
Looking Into The Seahawks
UNCW has had a rocky start to its season, picking up only three wins, all of which came in nonconference play. Although the team has not earned a conference win to date, they have come close, losing to Drexel by only three points in overtime (71-68 OT) and to James Madison by just one point (57-56) in their last outing.
Sierra DaCosta leads the Seahawks' offense, averaging 13.5 points per game. Micah Hoggatt paces the team with 6.5 rebounds per game. Allie Best averages a team-high 2.2 assist and 1.6 steals.
Next Up
After three consecutive games on the road, the Tigers will return home to SECU Arena to welcome Northeastern on Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. and Hofstra ono Jan. 30 at 2 p.m.
Towson will celebrate Women in Sports Night against the Huskies and Greek Life Alumni Weekend against the Pride.
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.
