When: Thursday, November 16, 2023
Where: Levien Gymnasium | New York, N.Y.
Time: Thursday- 7 p.m.
Team Records: Towson (1-0) at Columbia (1-2)
Stream: ESPN+
Series: First Meeting                                                                                                                            

TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women's basketball team travels up to the Big Apple to face WNIT finalist Columbia on Thursday night.
 
Towson, Morgan, UMBC Create Charm City Hoops Classic
Towson, Morgan State, and UMBC have agreed to play each other every year in both men's and women's basketball in what is being billed as the Charm City Hoops Classic. The three schools participated in the Battle of Baltimore series for six seasons from 1997-98 through 2002-03.
 
Schedule:
Monday, Nov. 6 – UMBC at Towson (7 PM)
Wednesday, Nov. 29 – Morgan at Towson (7 PM)
Saturday, Dec. 9 – UMBC at Morgan (2 PM)
 
Preseason POY
Kylie Kornegay-Lucas was named as the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Preseason of the Year and earned All-CAA First Team honors. Kornegay-Lucas was the 2022-23 CAA Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in steals (79) and ranking 26th in the nation. The redshirt senior guard averaged a team-high 14.1 points on 39.7% shooting and 32.9% 3pt shooting, while averaging 7.3 rebounds. The Camden, Del. native led the Tigers in assists and blocks with 132 assists and 27 blocks. She finished with the second highest free throw percentage in program history at 84.2%.
 
Atop the Chart
The CAA announced its annual Preseason Poll to start the season. The Tigers were picked to finish in first place after receiving nine first-place votes. Stony Brook was picked to finish in second with Northeastern in third place. 
 
Running It Back
The Tigers return four of their five starters from last year. Towson brings back 73.8% of the last year's scoring, including the top three scorers. The Tigers return 76.7% of the rebounds, including two of the top seven rebounders last year in the CAA. The Black & Gold had nobody leave due to the transfer portal.
 
Receiving Votes
The Tigers have moved up to No.14 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Preseason Poll. Last week the Tigers were voted No. 19 to start the season and have moved up after a 76-72 win against UMBC. Towson reached as high as No. 15 that same season. The Tigers are joined by Stony Brook
 
TU Fortress
The Tigers hold an 83-58 (.589) home record since TU Arena was built, including a 33-17 (.660) record against non-conference opponents. Towson holds a 50-41 (.549) against CAA foes. The Tigers finished with an 8-1 home record in conference play last year. Towson had won its last ten games in TU, tying a program record before losing to Monmouth in the championship.
 
Fresh Faces
Towson welcomes six newcomers this season: Semaya Turner (Saint Francis U), Kayla Morris (CSU Bakersfield), Anaiah Jenkins, Caydence Hadley, Aminata Diakite (Salt Lake CC) and Anasia Staton (CCBC Essex).
 
Last Season Recap
The Tigers had a phenomenal season last year, finishing with a 21-12 record and a 13-5 CAA record that earned Towson a share of the regular season title. In non-conference play the Tigers picked up a win over DePaul at the Fort Myers Tip-Off. In CAA play, the Tigers had the second-best defense holding opponents to 60.5 points per game. Towson won six of its final seven games to earn the No.1 seed in the CAA Tournament after holding tiebreakers over Drexel and Northeastern. The Tigers advanced past Hampton and William & Mary in the quarter and semifinals. Towson fell against Monmouth in the championship, which sent the Tigers to Cambridge for a first-round matchup against Harvard in the WNIT First Round.
 
Stepping Into the Spotlight
Quinzia Fulmore thrived after stepping into the starting lineup last season. She started in 31 of the 33 games last season, including all four postseason games. The junior forward from Greensboro, North Carolina averaged 10.3 points per game to rank second on the team. Fulmore finished with a field goal percentage of 52.7% in 33 games. She pulled down 7.3 rebounds a game to rank fifth in the CAA and tied for first for the Tigers. Fulmore had registered eight double-doubles to rank second in the conference.
 
The Climb to the 1,000 Club
Redshirt senior guard Kylie Kornegay-Lucas is nearing 1,000 career points in career and Towson. The Camden, Delaware native has accumulated 803 points during her collegiate career. Kornegay-Lucas has totaled 656 points at Towson, including 466 last season.
 
Scouting Columbia
The Lions have started the new season with a 1-2 record. Abbey Hsu leads Columbia in scoring and rebounding with 23.0 points per game and 7.3 boards a game. Hsu is the reigning Ivy League Player of the Week after surpassing the Ivy League record for most three-pointers in a career. Columbia fell to Stony Brook 85-73 in the season opener, then bounced back with a 72-61 win over Seton Hall. Yesterday, the Lions fell 66-62 to RV/22 Duke 66-62.
 
Last Time Out  
The Black & Gold hosted rival UMBC in the first edition of the Charm City Hoops Classic. After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Tigers took a 33-26 lead after a 6-0 run late in the second quarter. The Retrievers tied the score at 38, but back-to-back threes from Alexia Nelson and Alina Sendar to restore a six -point advantage. The teams continued to battle back and forth with the Tigers holding on to a narrow lead until late in the fourth quarter when UMBC retook the lead on two free throws. After trading baskets, Nelson hit the go-ahead layup with 50 seconds left, then Quinzia Fulmore sealed a 76-72 win with her fourth basket of the night.
 
Next Up
The Tigers will return to TU Arena to host Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. on FloHoops.