When: Saturday & Sunday November 25 & 26
Where: Alumni Hall | Annapolis, Md.
Time: Saturday/Sunday- 3:30 p.m.
Team Records: Towson (1-1) vs. Abilene Christian (2-1) / Quinnipiac (1-2)
Series: Abilene Christian/Towson – First Meeting
             Quinnipiac/Towson – First Meeting
TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women's basketball team heads down I-97 to Annapolis to take on Abilene Christian and Quinnipiac in the Navy Classic this weekend.
 
Parking/Shuttle
Fans are reminded that the general public does not have access to drive their vehicles to the U.S. Naval Academy. Fans may park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for a fee and take a shuttle that will run every 10 minutes starting one hour before the game and will continue running until one hour after the game is completed. Fans 18 and over need a government-issued photo ID. Enter Gate 5 off Taylor Ave. to park at the stadium.
 
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 are now No. 23 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Preseason Poll. Last week Towson was ranked as No. 14. In the preseason poll, the Tigers were voted No. 19 and 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 at the No.20 spot.
 
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 818 points during her collegiate career. Kornegay-Lucas has totaled 656 points at Towson, including 466 last season.
 
Scouting Abilene Christian
The Cats have a 2-1 record coming into the Navy Classic. Abilene Christian is led by Aspen Thornton who averages 11.3 points per game with 2.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game. The Cats defeated Southwestern Assemblies of God University 77-52, then fell 69-58 to Rice. Most recently, Abilene Christian was victorious over Angelo State University 65-57.
 
Scouting Quinnipiac
The Bobcats have a 1-2 record to start the 2023-34 season. Jackie Grisdale leads Quinnipiac with 13.7 points per game on .48.4 shooting from the field. The Bobcats opened the season with a 70-57 win over Maine, then fell 85-41 to Harvard. Most recently, Quinnipiac lost 58-53 to Vermont.
 
Last Time Out  
The Black & Gold hosted Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday night. The first quarter opened with both teams trading early baskets, then an alexia Nelson hit a three to give Towson a five-point lead. The Hawks went on a 7-0 run to take a 9-7 edge. Patricia Anumgba tied the score on a pull-up jumper as the teams traded free throws to end the first quarter tied at 11 apiece. Maryland Eastern Shore opened the second quarter with an 8-2 run. Towson responded with a 6-0 run highlighted by Anumgba's three-pointer to be tied at 19. The Hawks hit a late jumper to take a two-point going into halftime. The game was suspended at halftime after a roof issue.
 
Next Up
The Tigers will host Morgan State in the Charm City Hoops Classic on Wednesday, Nov. 29th at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on FloHoops.