TOWSON, Md. – The 11th-seeded Towson University women's basketball team (10-19, 8-10 CAA) faces the 14th-seeded Northeastern Huskies (3-24, 2-16 CAA) in the opening round of the Credit Union 1 CAA Women's Basketball Championship on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C.

Last Time Out
In the final game of the regular season, the Tigers faced Delaware at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark. The Tigers erased a 15-point third quarter deficit to beat the Blue Hens 69-59 in the final CAA regular season match in series history.

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 through 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. 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. The Tigers faced Monmouth in the first CAA home game on Jan. 10, dropping the contest to the Hawks 56-54 in a tight battle at TU Arena. Towson hosted the preseason favorite North Carolina A&T Aggies that Sunday and fell in the final minutes 61-59. While hosting Northeastern on Jan. 17, a strong second half cemented the Tigers' 79-43 victory at TU Arena. Towson faced Hampton to follow, surrendering an eight-point fourth quarter lead to fall to the Pirates 61-58. That Sunday, the Tigers faced William & Mary at Kaplan Arena, dropping the game to the Tribe 58-47. Against Delaware, India Johnston's season-high 23 points led the Tigers past the Blue Hens to win 62-48. Facing Drexel, two late turnovers in a one-possession game proved costly as the Tigers fell 53-49 in Philadelphia. In the first CAA rematch of the season, the Tigers topped Hampton 70-54 at TU Arena. In a game with five lead changes in the final quarter, Elon prevailed 45-41 over the Tigers at TU Arena. Strong shooting from the Tigers lifted them over Hofstra 63-51. The Tigers followed that with a wire-to-wire 59-52 win over Stony Brook at TU Arena. In Boston to face Northeastern, India Johnston's 21 led the way to secure the Tigers' third-straight win in CAA play. Against UNCW the second time, the Seahawks pulled away from the Tigers in the third quarter for a 72-63 victory at TU Arena. In the final home game of the season against Campbell, the Camels chipped away at the Tigers' 12-point lead in the fourth to win 58-57 at TU Arena. In the penultimate game of the regular season, Monmouth used a 47-point second half to cement an 82-56 win over the Tigers.

Scouting the Huskies
Northeastern enters Wednesday as the 14 seed after finishing 3-24 in the regular season with a 2-16 mark in league play. The Huskies averaged 18.7 threes taken per game. Freshman forward Alyssa Staten averages 8.3 rebounds per game, putting her in the top 100 in the nation. Abby Jegede posted 16.3 points per game in the regular season, the third best mark in the conference.

Impressive Freshman Campaign
Khady Leye was named to the All-CAA Rookie Team after finishing the season as a four-time CAA Rookie of the Week selection. The Senegal native led the Tigers in rebounds this season, averaging 7.0 per game. Leye posted 10.2 PPG, making her the third-leading scorer on the team. She added 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.4 blocks per game. Leye is the Tigers' first All-CAA Rookie Team selection since Allie Kubek in the 2020-21 season.

Leye totaled five double doubles in the regular season, planting her among the nation's top freshmen in the category. She finished the regular season tied for 12th among freshmen double double leaders with her tally.

Weekly 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 PPG and 7.5 RPG 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.

Leye earned her fourth league rookie of the week award on Jan. 27 after averaging 14.5 PPG on 50.0% shooting (10-20) while adding 4.5 RPG and 1.5 steals per game. Leye is the first four-time recipient in program history since Shanae Baker-Brice, who earned it four times in the 2006-07 season.

Nay Nay 1K
Senior Anasia Staton surpassed 1,000 career points on Feb. 23, 2025 vs. UNCW. She totaled 718 points in two seasons at CCBC Essex and has now accumulated 316 points in her second season with the Tigers.

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.

Earning Stripes
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.

Next Up
The winner of this matchup will face #6 Elon on the second round of the CAA Women's Basketball Championship on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C.