When                     Sunday, Jan. 5 at 1 p.m.
Where                    Trask Coliseum | Wilmington, N.C.
Team Records       Towson (2-10, 0-1 CAA) vs. UNCW (7-7, 1-0 CAA)
Series Record        UNCW leads the all-time series, 25-18
Streaming              FloCollege
Live Stats              TowsonTigers.com
 
WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Towson University women's basketball team continues its Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play opening road trip with a visit to Wilmington, N.C. to face UNCW at Trask Coliseum on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
The Tigers opened CAA play against the Charleston Cougars on Friday at TD Arena. After gaining a first-quarter lead, the Tigers surrendered it to the Cougars and fell 67-50.
 
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 fell to the Lady Bears, 64-63. The Tigers concluded the road trip with visits to No. 11 Maryland and George Washington, two competitive contests where they were outlasted in the second halves. In their home opener, the Tigers hosted Liberty. After forcing a tie with less than two minutes to go, the Tigers dropped the game to the Lady Flames, 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. Hosting UMBC in the team's annual STEM Day game, the Tigers cut the deficit to one with less than three minutes remaining but fell 65-60. Against American, the Tigers built a 23-point lead at the halftime break and carried that to an 89-62 win over the Eagles. In the final non-conference game of the season, the Tigers fell to Columbia 73-53.
 
Scouting the Seahawks
UNCW enters the game at 7-7 overall and 1-0 in CAA play. The Seahawks were picked 11th in the CAA Women's Basketball Preseason Poll. They boast Second Team Preseason All-CAA selection in guard Taylor Henderson and honorable mention guard Jania Hall.
 
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 Monday 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 10.9 PPG, first with 7.8 rebounds per game, and second with 1.2 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. Guard Shariah Baynes leads the team with 2.8 APG and is fourth with 1.1 SPG. The Philadelphia native stands fifth in scoring, averaging 6.8 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 92-65 (.586) home record since TU Arena was built, including a 37-21 (.638) 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.
 
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 will return home to begin a three-game CAA homestand against Monmouth on Friday, Jan. 10, at 2 p.m. at TU Arena.