When                         Saturday, Dec. 7 at 3:30 p.m.
Where                        TU Arena | Towson, Md.
Team Records        Towson (1-8) vs. American (0-7)
Series History         Towson leads the all-time series, 10-9
Streaming                 FloCollege
Live Stats/Radio     TowsonTigers.com
 
 
TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women's basketball team is slated to host American on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. for Hispanic Heritage Day. The game will start following the conclusion of the men's game at 1 p.m.
 
The game will stream live on FloCollege. Live stats and the radio broadcast will be available on TowsonTigers.com.
 
The first 300 fans inside TU Arena will receive a TU-Maryland flag courtesy of Towson Athletics.
 
Last Time Out
Towson hosted UMBC on Wednesday in the team's annual STEM Day game. After an 11-point deficit at the half, the Tigers roared back in the second, hitting a three with 2:38 left in regulation to cut the deficit to one. The Tigers were forced to foul in the final minutes and fell, 65-60.
 
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. The Tigers concluded the road trip with visits to No. 11 Maryland and George Washington. They were competitive in each game but were outlasted in the second half 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. In the Puerto Rico Clásico the Tigers faced UTSA and Youngstown State. After falling to the Roadrunners in the first game, the Tigers made a second half push against the Penguins to win, 68-57.
 
Scouting the Eagles
American enters the matchup winless through seven games this season. The Eagles have faced one common opponent of Towson in UMBC. The Retrievers topped the Eagles, 50-45. American was picked tenth in the 2024-25 Patriot League Women's Basketball 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. 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 year, finishing just two points shy of matching her career high of 24 against George Washington from a season ago. She's averaging a team-leading 12.7 points and 2.3 assists per game, which stand second. 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 10.2 PPG, first with 7.3 rebounds per game and fourth with 1.1 APG and 0.9 steals per game. Guard Shariah Baynes leads the team with 2.6 APG and 1.1 SPG. The Philadelphia native stands fourth in scoring, averaging 6.7 PPG.
 
Setting Records
In the team's annual STEM Day game on Dec. 4, the Tigers set a program record with 3,590 fans in attendance at TU Arena. The second-highest attendance in Towson women's basketball history is 3,423 on Dec. 4, 2018 vs. Loyola.
 
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 91-64 (.587) home record since TU Arena was built, including a 36-20 (.643) 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 will host Columbia in their final non-conference game of the season on Sunday, Dec. 29, at 1 p.m. for Golden Ager Day.