When: Thursday, December 29, 2022
Where: SECU Arena | Towson, Md.
Time: Thursday: 7 p.m.
Team Records: Towson (6-5) vs. Charleston (5-5)
Stream: FloHoops ($)
Series: Towson Leads Charleston 15-5

TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women's basketball team starts conference play in SECU Arena against the College of Charleston on Thursday night. 
 
Chasing Milestones
A couple of Tigers are close to achieving some impressive career milestones. Skye Williams is 65 points away from 500 career points at Towson. Anissa Rivera is 49 points away from totaling 1000 career points. Kylie Kornegay-Lucas is 14 assists from totaling 200 career assists.
 
The Sky is the Limit
Skye Williams has started the season on fire. Williams is shooting 53.8% from the floor this season to rank tied for fourth in the CAA in field goal percentage. Williams has totaled seven games where she has finished with 50% or better. The graduate student from Indianapolis, Indiana is averaging a career-best 8.9 pts per game and playing in a career-high 27.4 minutes per game.
 
Leading the Way
Redshirt junior guard Kylie Kornegay-Lucas leads the Tigers in points (16.5), rebounds (6.6), assists (4.1), blocks (1.5), steals (2.9) and minutes (31.6) this season. She ranks fifth in the CAA in scoring, tied for 11th in rebounds, fourth in assists, second in steals and fifth in blocks.
 
Home Sweet Home
The Tigers play five of the next six games at SECU Arena, including a three-game homestand. Towson wraps up non-conference play with Memphis and UMass Lowell, then starts CAA play with Charleston before heading on the road to Philadelphia to play Drexel. The Tigers return for games against CAA newcomer Hampton and William & Mary.
 
Lockdown Defender
Kylie Kornegay-Lucas has been a hawk of the defensive side of the ball, leading the team in steals and steals per game. Kornegay-Lucas ranks 29th in the nation and second in the CAA in steals with 32. The redshirt junior averages 2.9 steals per game to be 24th in the NCAA and second in the conference in steals per game.
 
New Faces
Towson added six newcomers this season for the 2022-23 season. Four players played college basketball last year, with two incoming freshmen. Taiye Johnson transferred after three years at Radford, while Alexia Nelson comes after two years at UMBC. Alina Sendar comes in after one year at Georgia and Patricia Anumgba comes from CCBC Essex. India Johnston and Gabby Scott made their collegiate debuts this season.
 
Preseason Honors
Anissa Rivera was picked to Preseason All-CAA First Team after being named All-CAA Preseason Honorable Mention last year. Rivera led the Tigers last season in rebounding, averaging 7.1 boards a game, including a season-best 14 against Frostburg State.
 
Kylie Kornegay-Lucas was named to the Preseason All-CAA Second Team. Kornegay-Lucas was the 2021-22 CAA Sixth Player of the Year after averaging 8.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game off the bench. The Camden, Del. native led the Tigers in steals with 40 and finished second in assists with 71.
 
At the Helm
Coach Laura Harper was announced as the Head Coach of Towson's women's basketball program in April. This is her first season in charge of the Tigers. Harper previously coached Coppin State for the last two years. She inherits a squad that went 24-8 and made a WNIT appearance last year.
 
SECU Fortress
The Tigers hold a 72-56 (.563) home record since SECU Arena was built, including a 32-18 (.640) record against non-conference opponents. Towson holds a 40-39 (.506) record against CAA opponents with a 9-1 record against Charleston.
 
Preseason Poll
The CAA announced its annual Preseason Poll to start the season. The Tigers were picked to finish fifth but received two first-place votes, the second most of any CAA team. Drexel was picked to finish first, receiving 10 votes.
 
Tigers In the Postseason
Towson has reached the postseason three times in the past 15 years. The team made its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2019. They also advanced to the WBI in 2010. Towson earned their second trip to the Postseason WNIT after a 24-8 season last year.
 
Scouting Charleston
The Cougars start CAA play with a 5-5 record. Charleston started the season with an 89-30 win against Meredith. The Cougars then had their game canceled against North Florida, so the Cougars played Norfolk State a couple of days later. Charleston fell 47-77 to the Spartans and dropped the following game to Tarleton 72-82. The Cougars' comeback fell short against Gardner-Webb 87-91. Charleston wrapped up its road trip with a 79-60 win at Radford. The Cougars returned home for a three-game homestand and started with a 85-81 win versus Coastal Carolina. The homestand continued with a 79-48 win against Charleston Southern. The Cougars defeated Berry 84-38 to have a four-game winning streak. Charleston wrapped up its non-conference slate with a 65-83 loss to Georgia Southern and a 33-97 loss to Oregon. The Cougars bring in the second-best scoring offense in the CAA averaging 72 points a game, while forcing 21.1 turnovers per game, the second most in the CAA. Jada Logan averages 17.7 points per game to sit second in the conference. 
 
Last Time Out  
Towson wrapped up non-conference play with a Friday afternoon matchup against UMass Lowell. Towson got out to an early lead and held on to an 11-6 advantage after the first. The Tigers grew the lead to seven, but UMass Lowell went on a 9-2 run to take a one-point advantage. Towson responded with an 8-0 run to close out the second quarter and have a 29-22 edge going into halftime. In the third quarter, Towson held the River Hawks to four points as the Tigers stretched the lead to 14 points. Towson continued to grow its lead throughout the fourth quarter, including going on an 8-0 run to seal a 66-40 win.
 
Next Up
The Tigers will head to Philadelphia to play Drexel on New Year's Day at 2 p.m. on FloHoops.