Towson, Md. — The Towson University women's basketball team will continue Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) competition as they welcome William & Mary to SECU Arena on Jan. 9 for a 1 p.m. game. The game will be part of a Sunday doubleheader as the Towson men's team will also take the court at 4:30 p.m. for their CAA home opener against Northeastern.
The Tigers (10-1, 1-0) have won their last seven contests while the Tribe (5-7, 0-1) have fell in five of their last six outings.
William & Mary leads the all-time series between the two programs, 21-14. The teams have not met since March 5, 2020 however, as the global COVID-19 pandemic forced the Tribe to opt out of the second half of the 2020-21 season.
Comin' In Hot
With seven consecutive victories, the Tigers improve to 10-1 on the 2021-22 season. The hot start is the best since the 2006-07 campaign when the team also came out to the same mark. The start is best since the 1976-77 season and is among the best in program history.
Last Time Out
A balanced effort on both sides of the ball led Towson to a 66-54 win over Elon in its CAA opener on Friday night. With the win, the team remains an undefeated 5-0 at home.
Anissa Rivera paced the team with a season-high 23 points in addition to adding nine rebounds. Allie Kubek also played a key role in the win, dropping a 12-point, 11 rebound double-double.
The Tigers showed out on defense, forcing 23 Phoenix turnovers for 21 points. The team also grabbed 15 total steals as Rivera, Rayne Tucker and Kylie Kornegay-Lucas all led the way with three takeaways apiece. Kornegay-Lucas topped the squad with three blocks, to tie her career-high, in her first game donning the black & gold.
In The CAA
One game into league play, Towson sits atop the CAA with a 1-0 mark, along with three other teams (Drexel, Northeastern, James Madison and Delaware). With a 9-1 nonconference record, the Tigers have the best winning percentage in the conference of .909.
The Tigers lead the conference in both scoring margin (+20.0) and rebounding margin (+8.8).
D-FENSE!
The black & gold have held four of its last seven opponents to less than 30 percent shooting in a game. Towson kept UMass Lowell (29.3 percent, 17-of-58), Millersville (19.1 percent, 9-of-47), Howard (25.4 percent, 18-of-7) and East Carolina (25.3 percent, 19-of-75) all below the mark.
The team has also held its opponents to less than 10 points in a quarter seven times this season.
With 15 steals against Elon, the Tigers have registered double-digit steals in five contests so far this slate.
First Half Team
When leading at the halftime, the Tigers own a 10-0 record. The team has led by 20+ points at the half twice this season, against both Millersville (24) and Howard (23). In both games, Towson scored over 40 points through the first two quarters.
Making Some Noise
Towson has moved up to No. 18 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, released Jan. 4. The team had previously spent three weeks at No. 19.
Missouri State remains at the top of the standings with a 10-2 record while BYU (10-1), FGCU (11-1), California Baptist (10-2) and Gonzaga (9-3) complete the top-5.
The Tigers are the lone CAA team represented in the poll, as Drexel and James Madison are just receiving votes.
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
With most of the nonconference schedule behind the team, Towson continues to be well represented in the NCAA rankings, sitting top-20 in six categories while leading the CAA in 10. The Tigers are still among the best rebounding teams in the country, ranked 11th in rebounds per game (45.36), and 10th in offensive boards per game (16.4). The team also sits at 15th in both field goal percentage defense (20.0) and scoring margin (20.8). The black & gold lead the conference in the four categories mentioned, as well.
Nelson continues to perform well, as she is ranked seventh in the nation and third in the league with 6.3 assists per game. Shooting 60 percent from the field, Kubek ranks 19th in the country.
Looking Into The Tribe
After opting out of the second half of the 2020-21 season, William & Mary entered conference play with five wins, with its most recent victory coming against Norfolk State, 55-50. The team dropped its CAA opener to James Madison on Friday night, 67-39.
W&M is 1-6 on the road this season, with its only win coming against UMES (65-58).
Sydney Wagner (11.9) and Casey Riley (11.6) lead the team, both averaging double-digit points. Bre Bellamy paces the Tribe with 5.8 rebounds per night. She leads a group of three players averaging over five boards a night.
Next Up
The Tigers will wrap up nonconference play at Princeton on Jan. 12. The contest is set for a 6 p.m. start at Jadwin Gymnasium.
From there, the black & gold will prepare to play four league games in just eight days. The team will host James Madison on Jan. 16 at 2 p.m. before hitting the road to play a rescheduled contest at Drexel, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. Towson will then travel to the Carolinas for its first pair of CAA road games 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.
