TOWSON, Md. — After its three-game road trip, the Towson University women's basketball team (13-4, 4-2) will return home to SECU Arena to face Northeastern (10-6, 4-2) on Friday night at 7 p.m.
The Tigers got back in the win column with a victory over UNCW last weekend, 72-49. The Huskies are on a three-game hot streak after defeating Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival Charleston, 81-70.
Northeastern holds the slight edge in the all-time series between the two teams, 22-21. During the 2020-21 season, the teams split the series in Boston as Towson won the first contest, 90-69, but dropped the second, 72-62.
Updated COVID-19 Attendance Policy
Towson has returned to 100% capacity for all indoor athletic contests plus has reopened concessions. Attendees are allowed to consume food and drink at Towson games.
These changes are to be enacted beginning Jan. 27.
Towson University remains under a mask mandate and requires all personnel, regardless of vaccination status, to be masked inside Towson University buildings. Masks must cover the nose and mouth.
Towson University continues to monitor the ongoing situation along with university, county and state officials. These new procedures are enacted in cooperation with the Towson University medical advisory committee and the University System of Maryland.
For ticket information for all Towson games, interested parties may contact the Towson Athletics ticket office by visiting www.towsontigers.com, calling 410-704-3330 or emailing dkogok@towson.edu.
Last Time Out
Towson defeated UNCW in a conference showdown on Jan. 23, 72-49.
Allie Kubek paced a group of three Tigers in double figure scoring with 21 points in addition to adding six rebounds, three steals and a block. Ryann Evans secured her first career double-double with 14 points and 11 boards. Aleah Nelson joined the pair, scoring 14 points.
Kylie Kornegay-Lucas had a very well-rounded game with seven points, nine rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and a career-high five steals.
In The CAA
Drexel (6-0) took lone possession of first place in the standings after defeating Delaware last week, 70-62. The Blue Hens now sit in second place with a 5-1 record followed by Northeastern in third with a 5-2 mark. Towson and James Madison are currently tied for fourth as they are both 4-2 in the CAA.
Elon (2-3), Charleston (2-5), UNCW (0-5) and Hofstra (0-5) round out the rest of the standings.
Thank You Fans!
Beginning January 27th, fans may again have food and drink at Towson games as concessions will reopen. As a thank you to all fans, the first 100 fans in attendance to Friday's game will receive a free calzone from D.P. Dough, the Original Calzone Company. Gates will open at 6 p.m. to SECU Arena.
Women in Sports Appreciation Night
Towson will be celebrating Women in Sports Appreciation Night on Jan. 28 against Northeastern. The night will kick off the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which protects people from discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities that receive financial aid.
Videos by the Towson Sports Network featuring head coach Diane Richardson, as well as other Tiger head coaches and student-athletes, will be played during halftime of the game talking about the impact of Title IX.
Tigers Dominate CAA Player of the Night
The Tigers have been dominating the voting in CAA Player of the Night honors. The poll is decided by the fans and run from the CAA Basketball Twitter account (@CAABasketball).
In all four instances that a Tiger has been nominated, they have won. Ryann Evans was most recently awarded the honor after her first career double-double (14p, 11r) against UNCW.
Anissa Rivera (23p, 9r, 3s) won the honor after the black & gold defeated Elon (Jan. 7), and Aleah Nelson (25p, 5a, 3s) followed as the team defeated WIlliam & Mary, (Jan. 9). Kubek (28p, 8r, 2s) gave the Tigers their third after a victory over JMU, (Jan. 16).
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), UMass Lowell (29.3 percent, 17-of-58) and UNCW (32.2 percent, 19-of-59) all below the mark. When Towson holds its opponent below 34.9 percent shooting, they are 8-0.
The team has also held its opponents to less than 10 points in a quarter nine times this season. The Tigers most recently held UNCW to just seven points in the second quarter of action.
With 11 steals against UNCW, the black & gold have registered seven double-digit steal games, led by a season-high 18 takeaway performance against Millersville. Nelson leads the squad with 24 total steals.
Towson has generated 325 total points this season off turnovers, for 19.1 points per game.
Prolific Scoring
At least two Tigers have cracked double figures in 16 of 17 outings so far this season. Nelson and Kubek have now scored 10+ points in 15 of 17 contests. When Towson lands four or more players in double-digits, they are 8-0.
The black & gold ended their outing against UNCW shooting 46.4 percent from the floor for their third best performance this season. When the team shoots above 40 percent, they are 10-0.
Allie Kubek and Aleah Nelson are both currently averaging 16.1 points per game, to make Towson the only team in conference with two scorers in the top five.
Making Some Noise
Towson is now at No. 24 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, released Jan. 25. The team was previously ranked No. 18.
BYU (15-1) remains in the top spot while FGCU (17-1), Missouri State (12-4), California Baptist (16-2) and Gonzaga (14-4) complete the top five.
Drexel (14-2, 6-0) leads the CAA in the poll as they are slotted at No. 14. James Madison (8-9, 4-2) and Delaware (10-5, 4-1) are also receiving votes.
The black & gold are still highest ranked CAA team in the NCAA NET rankings, sitting at No. 82.
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
The Tigers continue to be among the best rebounding teams in the country, ranking eighth in rebounds per game (44.59) and 17th in offensive boards per game (15.6).
Aleah Nelson has been consistent as the floor general, dishing out 99 total assists to rank 22th in the country. The 5.8 helpers per game rank 18th 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 but two contests so far this season, including the last five outings. The team has also reached 50+ rebounds on three occasions.
Towson has either won the fight off the glass or tied in 12 games.
Three Tigers are currently averaging over six boards per game in Anissa Rivera (6.8), Rayne Tucker (6.2) and Allie Kubek (6.1).
Looking Into The Huskies
Northeastern has had an up-and-down start to its season, going on multiple winning and losing skids. The Huskies are 2-5 on the road and have lost their last three consecutive aways games to Quinnipiac (69-58), Drexel (63-50) and Delaware (79-50).
Northeastern won their most recent outing on Wednesday night over Charleston, 81-70.
Kendall Currence leads the Huskies with 15.0 points per game. The offense, however, runs through standout freshman Claudia Soriano, who has totaled 56 assists and 53 steals. She has been named CAA Rookie of the Week four times this season. Donna Ntambue paces the team off the glass, average 7.4 rebounds.
Next Up
Towson will continue its homestand against Hofstra on Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. The Tigers will celebrate 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.
