Tigers historic ride comes to end with loss at UConn

Towson University's women's basketball team is on the national stage in the NCAA Tournament.

March 22, 2019

Towson Women's Basketball won the CAA title

They kept shooting, defending, stealing passes and lifting one another up.

At the final buzzer Friday night, the Towson University women’s basketball team’s season came to an end — but the Tigers can hold their heads high after an historic season.

On the home court of UConn, the Tigers fell to the No. 2 seed Huskies, 110-61, in Storrs, Conn. in the opening round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. It was the Tigers' first appearance in the tournament, while UConn has won 11 championships.

Kionna Jeter led the Tigers with 20 points, and disrupted the powerhouse Huskies by stealing seven passes.

The Tigers arrived in Connecticut Wednesday evening after departing TU earlier in the day, and having made a stop in Times Square in New York long the way.

They’ll return to TU having proven they were one of the top 64 teams in the country.

 

 

How they got there

In fall 2018, Towson University women’s basketball was picked to finish eighth in the conference in a poll of the league’s head coaches.

Head coach Diane Richardson knew better. After returning to Towson University following a first-round exit from the 2017–18 CAA Tournament, Richardson said, “It won’t feel like this next year.”

However, the Tigers did have their work cut out for them at the start. They played 10 of their first 13 games on the road, winning eight.

During that run, Towson U defeated La Salle 92-68 on Nov. 17—TU’s first victory over the Explorers since 1979. Kionna Jeter led the way with 32 points, and Nukiya Mayo added a team-best 11 rebounds.

Freshman Janeen Camp’s career day—11 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists—led the Tigers in their loss to No. 12 Syracuse on Dec. 2. That game kicked off a stretch where Tigers went 8-1, including five straight to open CAA play.

Wins over Drexel—TU’s first since 2010—and Hofstra, 92-68, were highlights of that streak. Mayo providing the buzzer-beater for the 55-54 victory over the Dragons in the CAA season opener, and, a week later, Jeter’s 29 points and Maia Lee’s 14 rebounds were tops for the Tigers.

From there TU suffered a bit of a bobble, going 2-4 over the next six games before reeling off four straight wins against UNCW, Charleston, William & Mary and Elon.

Despite losses to James Madison, Delaware and Drexel to end the conference season, TU finished with the most regular season wins since 2009 (17­–12) and the first season with a winning record since 2012. They finished fourth in the CAA, their best finish since joining the league in 2002, and earned the four seed at the CAA tournament—their best seeding at the league championship.

Richardson earned CAA Coach of the Year honors. Camp netted a spot on the all-rookie team, Mayo landed on the CAA All-Second Team, while Jeter received first team notice. She and Mayo also earned places on the all-defensive team.

In the CAA quarters, TU rebounded from a 70-57 loss to UD just one week before with a 59-49 win over the Blue Hens on March 14 to advance to meet Hofstra the next day. Jeter netted 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Tigers, while Murray added 13 points. Jeter scored the first basket of the game and TU never trailed after that. Delaware cut the lead to one with 2:11 left in the third before TU ran its lead to 11 at the start of the fourth quarter. Delaware continued to battle, getting as close as five points with 5:29 left and two points with 1:11 left.

The Tigers pulled off the three-peat against the Pride, defeating them for the third time in 2018–19, 69-48, to earn the right to face Drexel on March 16, who defeated Towson U 77-44, on March 9. TU used a 29-7 second quarter to propel itself to victory. Mayo (22 pts) and Murray (10 pts) led the Tigers on offense, while the team recorded six blocks on defense.

TU’s trip to the CAA title game was a first in program history. Mayo’s 20 points led TU and earned her CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Jeter recorded 10 points and earned a spot on the all-tournament team. A back-and-forth first half ended with the Tigers ahead 28-27 on 46.2 percent shooting. The teams remained neck-and-neck throughout the second half; neither held a lead larger than three points. Towson U took its first lead of the half at the end of the third, 39-38, after two Murray free throws and a three from Danielle Durjan.

TU led by three with 25 seconds left, and after a timeout, Drexel lost control of the inbounds pass. Mayo hit two free throws with 11 seconds left for the final 53-49 margin.

The 2018–19 season was TU’s first 20-win season since 2007­–08 and just the second time a Tiger team has hit that mark. As of March 21, Jeter is fourth all-time at TU in single-season points (552) and third all-time in single-season field goals made (206). Murray is second in single-season assists (142).

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: TU Matters to Maryland.