When: Thursday, March 16, 2023
Where: Lavietes Pavilion | Cambridge, Mass.
Time: Thursday- 7 p.m.
Team Records: Towson (21-11, 13-5 CAA) vs Harvard (17-11, 9-5 Ivy)
Stream: ESPN+ ($)
Series: Towson Leads 1-0

TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women's basketball team ships up to Massachusetts to face Harvard in the first round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) on Thursday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
Tournament Recap
The Black & Gold hosted the CAA Tournament last week for the first time in SECU Arena. The Tigers secured the first seed and a share of the regular season title for the first time in program history. Towson came in as the one seed and defeated Hampton 87-65, then followed up with a 76-59 win over William & Mary after completing a 13-point comeback. The Tigers fell 80-55 in the CAA Championship against Monmouth.
 
Achievements Unlocked
A couple of Tigers have surpassed some great milestones, including Anissa Rivera, who passed 1000 career points against Monmouth after she nailed a three from the top of the key. Skye Williams surpassed 500 career points at Towson on Sunday against Drexel, while Kylie Kornegay-Lucas eclipsed 500 career points against UMass Lowell. Coach Laura Harper has the most wins by a coach in her first year in program history with 21 wins. Harper is the first coach to lead her team to postseason play.
 
Sharing the Honor
Patricia Anumgba earned CAA Co-Player of the Week after averaging 20.5 points on 55.2% shooting to help guide Towson to a perfect 2-0 week and secure the one seed in the CAA Tournament after being crowned co-regular season champions with Drexel and Northeastern. The sophomore guard scored a team-high 20 points on 53.3% shooting to guide the Tigers past Stony Brook 76-67. The native from Silver Spring, Maryland scored a career-high 21 points including a career-best five triples to lead Towson past Elon 70-63. She has finished the last six games of the regular season in double figures.
 
Stepping Into the Spotlight
Quinzia Fulmore has thrived stepping into the starting lineup this season. The sophomore forward from Greensboro, North Carolina averages 10.3 points per game to rank second on the team. Fulmore ranks second in the CAA in field goal percentage totaling 53.1% in 32 games. She pulls down 7.5 rebounds a game to rank sixth in the CAA and ranks first on the team. Fulmore has registered eight double-doubles this season to rank second in the conference.
 
The Sky is the Limit
Skye Williams has been on fire this season. Williams is shooting 46.3% from the floor this season to rank tied for 14th in the CAA in field goal percentage. Williams has totaled 14 games where she has finished with 50% or better. The graduate student from Indianapolis, Indiana is averaging a career-best 8.5 pts per game and playing in a career-high 23.7 minutes per game.
 
Leading the Way
Redshirt junior guard Kylie Kornegay-Lucas leads the Tigers in points (14.2), assists (4.1), blocks (0.9), steals (2.4) and minutes (30.7) this season. She ranks eighth in the CAA in scoring, fifth in rebounds, third in assists, third in steals, third in free throw percentage (84.6%) and ninth in blocks. The guard from Camden, Delaware has scored double figures in 27 of the 32 games this season.
 
2023 Is Our Year
The Tigers have totaled a 15-5 record since the start of 2023. Towson averages 68.7 points per game while allowing only 62.0 points per game. The Tigers are shooting 40.8% from the floor and holding opponents to 38.9%. The Black & Gold grab 39.8 rebounds with Quinzia Fulmore leading the charge with 8.0 rebounds a game. Three Tigers are averaging double figures during that stretch with Kylie Kornegay-Lucas leading the way with 13.1 points, Fulmore averaging 10.5 and Patricia Anumgba adding 10.2.
 
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 30th in the nation and second in the CAA in steals with 77. The redshirt junior averages 2.4 steals per game to be 30th in the NCAA and is third in the conference in steals per game.
 
Postseason Honors
Kylie Kornegay-Lucas was named to the All-CAA First Team after leading the Tigers in points (13.9). The redshirt junior guard ranked third in the conference in assists per game averaging 4.03. Kornegay-Lucas earned CAA Defensive Player of the Year and is the player to win the award in program history. She led the Tigers in steals (74), blocks (26) and minutes played per game (30.5). Kornegay-Lucas finished second in the CAA in steals per game with 2.55, including a career-high six against Delaware. She finished second on the team and seventh in the CAA in rebounds per game grabbing 7.34 a contest with a career-high 15 boards against William & Mary.
 
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 an 82-58 (.586) home record since SECU Arena was built, including a 32-17 (.681) record against non-conference opponents. Towson holds a 50-41 (.549) against CAA foes. The Tigers finished with an 8-1 record in conference play this year. Towson had won its last ten games in SECU, tying a program record before losing to Monmouth in the championship.
 
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 four 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 Harvard
The Crimson have accumulated a 17-11 record with a 9-5 mark in the Ivy League. Harvard is led by Harmoni Tuner who earned First Team after leading the team in points (16.1), assists (3.9) and steals (2.4). Lola Mullaney was named to the Second Team All-Ivy after averaging 13.8 points and 1.4 steals. Harvard finished third in the regular season and advanced to the Ivy Madness championship, defeating Columbia in overtime. The Crimson fell to Princeton after the Tigers scored the last seven points.
 
Last Time Out  
The Tigers hosted Monmouth in the CAA Championship. The Hawks jumped out to a 15-2 run to start the game. The Tigers cut the lead down to eight heading into the second quarter after a couple of late buckets by Patricia Anumgba. The Tigers fought back and trailed by one after an and-one by Anissa Rivera. Monmouth finished the quarter on a 10-3 run. The Hawks continued to build its lead in the third quarter, then pulled away early in the fourth after an 18-5 run.
 
Next Up
If the Tigers win, they will advance to the second round of the WNIT and face the winner of UAlbany and UMass.