When                     Sunday, Jan. 12 at 2 p.m.
Where                    TU Arena | Towson, Md.
Team Records       Towson (3-11, 1-2 CAA) vs. North Carolina A&T (7-7, 3-0 CAA)
Series Record        Towson leads the all-time series, 2-1
Streaming              FloCollege
Live Stats/Radio    TowsonTigers.com
 
TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women's basketball team hosts North Carolina A&T on
Sunday at 2 p.m. in the second game of a three-game Coastal Athletic Association (CAA)
homestand.
 
Last Time Out
Towson hosted Monmouth on Friday in its first home CAA contest this season. A strong third quarter tied the game for the Tigers before they were outlasted by the Hawks in the final period to fall 56-54 at TU Arena.
 
Scouting the Tigers
Towson faced many formidable foes in the non-conference slate, including matchups against two Associated Press (AP) top 25 teams in #16 West Virginia and # 11 Maryland in the first four games of the season. The Black & Gold played in the Puerto Rico Clásico in late November, facing UTSA and Youngstown State. The Tigers secured their first win of the season over Youngstown State and defeated American at home the following week in the penultimate non-conference game of the season.
 
The Tigers opened CAA play against Charleston on Jan. 3 at TD Arena, falling to the Cougars 67-50 after holding a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter. Against UNCW that Sunday, India Johnston's running jumper with 1.8 seconds remaining gave the Tigers a one-point lead as they went on to win 70-69 at Trask Coliseum.
 
Scouting the Aggies
North Carolina A&T enters Sunday's matchup at 7-7 overall and 3-0 in conference play. The Aggies were picked as preseason favorites in the CAA Women's Basketball Preseason Poll with 10 first-place votes. They boast two preseason first team All-CAA selections in guards Maleia Bracone and Jordyn Dorsey. Center Chaniya Clark earned second team honors.
 
League Honors
Khady Leye was named the CAA Rookie of the Week on Dec. 2 after averaging 12.5 points and 7.0 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 69.2% (9-13) shooting.
 
Leye earned her second CAA Rookie of the Week honor in as many weeks after averaging 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the Tigers' 1-1 week vs. UMBC and American to begin December. The freshman shot a combined 61.5% (16-26) from the field, recording her second double-double of the season vs. American.
 
Leye received her third conference rookie of the week honor on Dec. 30 after posting nine points and six boards against Columbia in the Tigers' final non-conference game of the season. She added four steals and two blocks, both career-highs.
 
Impact Freshmen
Two Tiger freshmen have become impactful rotation players in the 2024-25 season. Forward Khady Leye ranks third on the team with 10.6 PPG, first with 7.7 rebounds per game and second with 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. Guard Shariah Baynes leads the team with 2.6 APG and is fourth with 1.0 SPG. The Philadelphia native stands fifth in scoring, averaging 6.1 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.
 
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.
 
Protect this House
The Tigers hold a 92-66 (.582) home record since TU Arena was built, including a 37-21 (.638) record against non-conference opponents. Towson holds a 56-45 (.554) 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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Next Up
Towson concludes its three-game CAA homestand against Northeastern on Friday at 6 p.m. at TU Arena.