When                         Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 11 a.m.
Where                        TU Arena | Towson, Md.
Team Records        Towson (1-7) vs. UMBC (4-4)
Series History         Towson leads the all-time series, 40-14
Streaming/TV          FloCollege / Monumental Sports Network
 
TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women's basketball team will host UMBC on Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the team's annual STEM Day game at TU Arena.
 
The game will stream live on FloCollege and be simulcast on Monumental Sports Network. Live stats will be available on TowsonTigers.com.
 
Last Time Out
Over Thanksgiving weekend, the Tigers competed in the Puerto Rico Clásico, facing UTSA and Youngstown State. After falling to the Roadrunners on Friday, a strong second half push against the Penguins lifted the Tigers to victory. Three players finished with 15 or more points in the game: Khady Leye (19), Jordan Wakefield (17) and India Johnston (15). Johnston added 11 boards for her first career double-double.
 
Scouting the Tigers
The Tigers began the 2024-25 season with a five-game road stand, including two matchups against Associated Press (AP) Top 25 teams. After dropping contests to No. 16 West Virginia and George Mason to begin the campaign, the Tigers faced Morgan State. Towson had a chance to take the lead in the closing minutes but couldn't connect on the necessary bucket to fall, 64-63. They concluded the road trip with visits to No. 11 Maryland and George Washington. The Black & Gold remained competitive in both games but were outlasted in the second halves of each. In their home opener, the Tigers hosted Liberty. After trailing most of the game, Towson tied it up at 55 with less than two minutes to go. The Lady Flames got to the free throw line six times in the closing minutes to win, 64-57.
 
Scouting the Retrievers
UMBC enters the matchup at 4-4 overall. The Retrievers have faced two common opponents the Tigers have faced this season in Maryland and Morgan State. After dropping their season opener to the Terps, they topped the Lady Bears in their third home game of the campaign. They also have a win over American, who the Tigers will face this weekend. The Retrievers were picked to finish sixth in the America East Preseason Poll.
 
League Honors
Khady Leye was named the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Rookie of the Week on Monday after averaging 12.5 points and 7 rebounds per game in the Tigers' two games of the Puerto Rico Clásico, adding one block over the weekend. In Towson's win over Youngstown State, the freshman forward had a career-high 19 points off the bench on 9-13 shooting.
 
This is Leye's first career rookie of the week award. It is the Tigers' first honoree since Allie Kubek was named the CAA Rookie of the Week on Dec. 7, 2020.

Leading the Way
Junior guard India Johnston put up a season-high 22 points against #11 Maryland earlier this season, finishing just two points shy of matching her career high of 24 against George Washington last year. She's averaging 14.0 points and 2.3 assists per game, which both lead the team. She recorded her first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds against Youngstown State last weekend.
 
Impact Freshmen
Two Tiger freshmen have become impactful rotation players quickly in the 2024-25 season. Forward Khady Leye ranks second on the team with 9.4 PPG, first with 7.6 rebounds per game, third with 1.3 APG and tied for second with 1.0 steals per game. Guard Shariah Baynes leads the team with 2.5 APG and 1.5 SPG. The Philadelphia native stands fourth in scoring, averaging 6.6 PPG.
 
Fresh Faces
The Tigers welcome five newcomers to the team this season, highlighted by CAA transfer Deja Bristol from Northeastern, who averaged 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds/game for the Huskies last season. Other transfers include junior guard Masyn Marchbanks from Samford, who averaged 8.4 points and 2.6 assists in 22.5 minutes per game for the Bulldogs last season, and graduate guard Jordan Wakefield, who most recently played for George Mason in the 2021-22 season. Tiger freshmen include 6'2" forward Khady Leye from Louga, Senegal and guard Shariah Baynes.
 
CAA Preseason Poll
In the 2024-25 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Women's Basketball Preseason Poll, Towson was selected to finish third with one first-place vote. N.C. A&T led the way with 11 first-place votes. Drexel finished second with two first-place votes. Charleston and William & Mary finished in a tie for fourth, while Delaware and Elon completed the top half of the table. Campbell, Stony Brook, Monmouth, UNCW, Hofstra, Northeastern and Hampton rounded out the group.
 
Returning Percentages
Towson returns eight players from last year's 20-11 team, including 2023-24 All-CAA Second Team selection Patricia Anumgba. Other returners include junior guard India Johnston and forwards Kayla Morris and Anasia Staton. The Tigers return 48.5% of their scoring alongside 46.1% of their rebounding from a season ago.
 
Welcoming Coaches
The Tigers welcome two new assistant coaches to the staff ahead of the 2024-25 season. Eric Atkins, who most recently served as an assistant coach for the Wisconsin Herd, the National Basketball Association (NBA) G-League affiliate for the Milwaukee Bucks, joined the staff in July. Atkins played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where he graduated in 2014. He is the first three-year captain in the history of Notre Dame men's basketball. Also joining the staff is Lorie Khalil, who joins with 19 years of Division III coaching experience, including 10 seasons with Penn State Lehigh Valley most recently. She joins the staff with a 252-155 overall coaching record in 19 years across three D-III institutions.
 
Last Season's Recap
Towson finished the regular season 20-11 last season with an 11-7 mark in conference play, earning the sixth seed to the CAA Tournament in Washington, D.C. The Tigers defeated the 11-seed Northeastern Huskies before securing a spot in the CAA Tournament Semifinals with a win over 3-seed Charleston. In the semis vs. Drexel, the Black & Gold fell 68-69, finishing two points shy of securing a spot in the CAA Championship game for the second year in a row.
 
Protect this House
The Tigers hold a 92-63 (.591) home record since TU Arena was built, including a 36-19 (.655) record against non-conference opponents. Towson holds a 56-44 (.560) against CAA foes. The Tigers finished with a 9-4 record at home and had an 8-1 home record in conference play last year.
Note: The total number of wins is one short of the combined home and road records due to last season's regular season finale that Northeastern forfeited. The game was declared a no contest at the NCAA level but the Tigers were awarded a CAA victory in the conference slate.
 
Next Up
The Tigers are scheduled to host American on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at TU Arena. The game will start following the conclusion of the men's game vs. UMBC at 1 p.m.