11-28-2023 9:27pm

WOMEN VS. MORGAN

Jeff Barto Editor

TOWSON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WELCOME RIVAL MORGAN STATE IN THE CHARM CITY HOOPS CLASSIC

When: Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Where: TU Arena | Towson, Md.
Time: Wednesday - 7 p.m.
Team Records: Morgan State (3-3) vs. Towson (3-1)
Stream: FloHoops
Series: Towson Leads 16-11

TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women's basketball team welcomes Morgan State to TU Arena on Wednesday night in continuation of the Charm City Hoops Classic.

Towson, Morgan, UMBC Create Charm City Hoops Classic
Towson, Morgan State and UMBC have agreed to play each other every year in both men's and women's basketball in what is being billed as the Charm City Hoops Classic. The three schools participated in the Battle of Baltimore series for six seasons from 1997-98 through 2002-03.

Schedule:
Monday, Nov. 6 – UMBC at Towson W, 76-72
Wednesday, Nov. 29 – Morgan at Towson (7 PM)
Saturday, Dec. 9 – UMBC at Morgan (2 PM)

Getting Down to Business
Redshirt senior guard Kylie Kornegay-Lucas was named the CAA Player of the Week. Kornegay-Lucas led the Tigers to two wins at the Navy Classic and picked up MVP honors after averaging 17.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game. She had a team-high 15 points with nine rebounds while adding season-highs with six assists and five steals against Abilene Christian. The Camden, Delaware native followed up with a season-high 19 points and nine rebounds against Quinnipiac.

Preseason POY
Kylie Kornegay-Lucas was named as the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Preseason of the Year and earned All-CAA First Team honors. Kornegay-Lucas was the 2022-23 CAA Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in steals (79) and ranking 26th in the nation. The redshirt senior guard averaged a team-high 14.1 points on 39.7% shooting and 32.9% 3pt shooting, while averaging 7.3 rebounds. The Camden, Del. native led the Tigers in assists and blocks with 132 assists and 27 blocks. She finished with the second highest free throw percentage in program history at 84.2%.

Atop the Chart
The CAA announced its annual Preseason Poll to start the season. The Tigers were picked to finish in first place after receiving nine first-place votes. Stony Brook was picked to finish in second with Northeastern in third place.

Running It Back
The Tigers return four of their five starters from last year. Towson brings back 73.8% of the last year's scoring, including the top three scorers. The Tigers return 76.7% of the rebounds, including two of the top seven rebounders last year in the CAA. The Black & Gold had nobody leave due to the transfer portal.

Receiving Votes
The Tigers are now No. 23 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Preseason Poll. Last week Towson was ranked as No. 14. In the preseason poll, the Tigers were voted No. 19 and moved up after a 76-72 win against UMBC. Towson reached as high as No. 15 that same season. The Tigers are joined by Stony Brook at the No.20 spot.

TU Fortress
The Tigers hold an 83-58 (.589) home record since TU Arena was built, including a 33-17 (.660) record against non-conference opponents. Towson holds a 50-41 (.549) against CAA foes. The Tigers finished with an 8-1 home record in conference play last year. Towson had won its last ten games in TU, tying a program record before losing to Monmouth in the championship.

Fresh Faces
Towson welcomes six newcomers this season: Semaya Turner (Saint Francis U), Kayla Morris (CSU Bakersfield), Anaiah Jenkins, Caydence Hadley, Aminata Diakite (Salt Lake CC) and Anasia Staton (CCBC Essex).

Last Season Recap
The Tigers had a phenomenal season last year, finishing with a 21-12 record and a 13-5 CAA record that earned Towson a share of the regular season title. In non-conference play the Tigers picked up a win over DePaul at the Fort Myers Tip-Off. In CAA play, the Tigers had the second-best defense holding opponents to 60.5 points per game. Towson won six of its final seven games to earn the No.1 seed in the CAA Tournament after holding tiebreakers over Drexel and Northeastern. The Tigers advanced past Hampton and William & Mary in the quarter and semifinals. Towson fell against Monmouth in the championship, which sent the Tigers to Cambridge for a first-round matchup against Harvard in the WNIT First Round.

Stepping Into the Spotlight
Quinzia Fulmore thrived after stepping into the starting lineup last season. She started in 31 of the 33 games last season, including all four postseason games. The junior forward from Greensboro, North Carolina averaged 10.3 points per game to rank second on the team. Fulmore finished with a field goal percentage of 52.7% in 33 games. She pulled down 7.3 rebounds a game to rank fifth in the CAA and tied for first for the Tigers. Fulmore had registered eight double-doubles to rank second in the conference.

The Climb to the 1,000 Club
Redshirt senior guard Kylie Kornegay-Lucas is nearing 1,000 career points in career and Towson. The Camden, Delaware native has accumulated 852 points during her collegiate career. Kornegay-Lucas has totaled 656 points at Towson, including 466 last season.

Scouting Morgan State
The Lady Bears have a 3-3 record to start the 2023-24 season. Gabrielle Johnson leads the team with 9.8 points, 2.5 assists and 2.7 steals. Morgan State opened the season with a 59-57 win over Washington Adventist, then followed with a 63-55 loss to Sacred Heart. The Lady Bears defeated Notre Dame of Maryland University 75-32, but fell 62-48 to Davidson. Morgan State recently took part in the Puerto Rico Clasico, where they lost to CAA foe Campbell, 60-46, and defeated UNC Asheville 53-51.

Last Time Out
The Black & Gold took part in the Navy Classic last weekend and went 2-0. In the first game against Abilene Christian, Kylie Kornegay-Lucas flirted with a triple double with a team-high 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five steals as a strong fourth quarter sealed a 63-56 win over the Wildcats. Towson then faced Quinnipiac the following day. The Tigers used a 28-point third quarter to defeat the Bobcats 75-65. Kornegay-Lucas was named Classic MVP while Patricia Anumgba earned All-Navy Classic Team honors.

Next Up
The Tigers will travel to Lynchburg, Virginia to face Liberty on Monday, December 4th at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.