HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — The Towson University women's basketball team is set for their final Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) road trip of the season this weekend, first meeting Hofstra on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.
The last time the two teams met, on Jan. 30, the Tigers (20-5, 11-3) came out with the dominant 86-45 win over the Pride (5-16, 2-11) to mark the largest win margin between the two teams. The Black & Gold own the 40-36 all-time edge over Hofstra while head coach Diane Richardson is 9-2 against the Pride.
Last Time Out
Towson earned its 20th win of the season with a 27-point victory over Charleston on Feb. 20, 84-57.
Aleah Nelson led the way with a great all-around performance, recording 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists. She also shot 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Kubek dropped her fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Skye Williams came off the bench to score 15 points. Ryann Evans added six boards and nine points.
The Black & Gold grabbed 54 rebounds, 11 more than the Cougars, to secure their fifth +50 board performance of the season. Kubek and Anissa Rivera led the way with 12 rebounds apiece while Nelson and Rayne Tucker grabbed eight each.
20 & Counting
With Sunday's victory over Charleston, the Tigers made history, becoming the fastest team to reach 20 wins in program history and the only tie the most in the regular season.
Since arriving in Towson in 2017, head coach Diane Richardson has now garnered two 20-win seasons, as she led the 2018-19 squad to a 20-13 overall mark.
The men's team earned their 21st win of the campaign last Saturday against Charleston, to mark the first time in Towson's history both the men's and women's teams have reached 20+ wins in the same season.
Towson is one of nine schools in the country to have both basketball squads with 20+ victories (Liberty, Gonzaga, Tennessee, Baylor, Toledo, Murray State, North Carolina and Missouri State).
In The CAA
Drexel took lone possession of first place in the CAA with a 13-1 record. Delaware sits in second (12-2) and Towson follows in third (11-3). James Madison (8-6) and Elon (6-7) round out the top five.
Charleston (6-8), Northeastern (6-8), William & Mary (5-9), Hofstra (2-11) and UNCW (0-14) complete the remainder of the standings.
Sweepin' Up
The Tigers have completed four season sweeps of CAA opponents so far this season. The Black & Gold have earned two wins over William & Mary (Jan. 9 and Feb. 4), Elon (Jan. 7 and Feb. 6), James Madison (Jan. 16 and Feb. 13) and UNCW (Jan. 23 and Feb. 18).
This weekend, the team will look to complete two more sweeps with second wins over Hofstra and Northeastern.
Kornegay-Lucas Makes History
Kylie Kornegay Lucas' recorded a historic triple-double against Delaware (Feb. 9) with 11 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. The feat marks the first at Towson since 1993, when Tanya Belair did it against Winthrop (17p, 10r, 10s). Chris Pulaski did it when the team was Division II, amassing 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks. It is also the first in the CAA since 2018 when Shay Burnett of Elon brought in 13 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists.
D-FENSE!
The black & gold have held 12 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), UNCW (32.2 percent, 19-of-59), Hofstra (26.7 percent, 16-of-60), Elon (33.9 percent, 21-of-62) and Charleston (27.8 percent, 22-of-79) all below the mark. When Towson holds its opponent below 34.9 percent shooting, they are 11-0.
The team has also held its opponents to less than 10 points in a quarter 13 times this season. The Tigers most recently held Charleston to six points in the final quarter of action.
The black & gold have registered nine double-digit steal games, led by a season-high 18 takeaway performance against Millersville. Kubek leads the squad with 31 total steals.
Towson has generated 507 total points this season off turnovers, for 20.3 points per game. When the team registers more steals than their opponent, they are undefeated, 15-0.
Taking Care of the Ball
Towson has done an exceptional job of taking care of the ball this season, ranking fourth in the league with a 2.24 turnover margin. The team is also third in assist/turnover ratio (0.95).
Floor general Aleah Nelson has also been careful with the rock, as she ranks ninth nationally and first in the league in assist/turnover ratio (2.63).
When the Tigers have fewer turnovers than their opposition, they are 16-0.
Prolific Scoring
At least two Tigers have cracked double figures in 24 of 25 outings so far this season. Nelson has now scored 10+ points in 23 of 25 contests including the last 11 outings.
Five Tigers have also registered +20 point performances in Nelson, Allie Kubek, Anissa Rivera, Kylie Kornegay-Lucas and Rayne Tucker. Nelson and Kubek pace the squad with five games over 20 points apiece.
Towson has had two players score 20 or more points four times this season:
- James Madison - Jan. 16 (Kubek-28, Rivera-20
- Northeastern - Jan. 28 (Nelson-24, Kubek-22)
- Delaware - Feb. 9 (Nelson-24, Kubek-20)
- James Madison - Feb. 13 (Rivera-21, Kornegay-Lucas-20)
When Towson lands four or more players in double-digits, they are 12-0.
Making Some Noise
Towson moved up to No. 18 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, released Feb. 22. The team was previously ranked No. 23.
BYU (22-2) remains in the top spot while Princeton (19-4), FGCU (24-2), Missouri State (19-5) and Stephen F. Austin (23-3) complete the top five.
Drexel (21-3, 13-1) leads the CAA in the poll as they are slotted at No. 12. Delaware (18-6, 12-2) fell to No. 23.
The black & gold are still highest ranked CAA team in the NCAA NET rankings, sitting at No. 74. Drexel comes in at No. 84 followed by Delaware at No. 99.
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 ninth in total rebounds with 1,144 total boards. The team is sixth in rebounds per game (45.76) and eighth in offensive boards per game (16.4).
The team is also killing it on offense, ranked 18th in scoring offense (76.7) and 15th in scoring margin (15.6).
The Tigers sit top 40 in the nation in 11 statistical categories.
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 13 outings. The team has also reached 50+ rebounds on five occasions.
Towson has either won the fight off the glass or tied in 19 games.
Both Anissa Rivera (7.1) and Allie Kubek (6.2) are currently averaging over six boards per game.
Scouting The Pride
Hofstra has dropped their previous four games after winning a pair of games against UNCW (56-40) and Northeastern (56-43). Jaylen Hines paces the Pride averaging 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Jaala Henry also plays a key role for the team, leading the team with 2.0 assists per game and 11 blocks.
Next Up
Towson will complete its final CAA road trip of the 2021-22 slate against Northeastern on Feb. 27 at noon.
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.
