What you need to know about the Tigers women basketball team & the NCAA Tournament

The Tigers won the CAA championship Saturday afternoon, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

March 18, 2019

TU women's basketball wins CAA championship

The Tigers are going dancing.

The Towson University women's basketball is headed to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history after winning the CAA championship Saturday.

On Monday afternoon, before dozens of supporters gathered in the Minnegan Room on campus for a watch party, the Tigers learned who they'd be playing in the opening round of the tournament just a bit early, as brackets were leaked ahead of schedule.

TU earned a No. 15 seed and will visit the 11-time national champions from the University of Connecticut on Friday night.

“We love this opportunity. We’ve been preparing for this. The girls are ready, too,” Coach Diane Richardson told WBAL-TV in an interview during the evening newscast. “This is an opportunity to show on a national stage what Towson basketball is all about.”

Who, where & when

The Tigers will visit No. 2 seed UConn at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Storrs, Conn.

The Huskies went 31-2 in 2018-2019, winning the American Athletic Conference.

UConn has reached the Final Four in 10 straight seasons, but isn't a No. 1 seed in the tournament for the first time since 2006.

The Tigers finished up at 20-12, and punctuated a break-out season with the team's first Colonial Athletic Association title.

How you can watch

Aside from, you know, going to the games?

The Tigers and Huskies will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. Friday on ESPN2.

Details about potential watch parties will be shared later this week.

The remainder of the women's tournament will air on ESPN and ESPN2.

How they got here

Led by junior Nukiya Mayo with 20 points, the Towson University women's basketball team won the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship on Saturday afternoon in the Bob Carpenter Center in Delaware. A 53-49 win secured the crown for Towson over Drexel in the conference final. 

This is the first CAA title for the Tigers and the first NCAA Tournament berth in program history. Mayo was named the CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player while redshirt sophomore Kionna Jeter was named to the All-Tournament Team. Jeter posted 10 points in the win while senior Maia Lee led the team in rebounds with eight.
 
Towson awaits the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Monday evening for seeding and matchup announcements. Stay tuned to TowsonTigers.com for more information about a watch party off campus on Monday night.
 
This is Towson's first 20-win season since 2007-08 and the second team in program history to accomplish 20 wins. In the preseason poll the Tigers were voted to finish eighth and completed the regular season tied for third, knocking off the No. 5 seed Delaware, No. 9 seed Hofstra and No. 2 seed Drexel to take the win.

Read more at TowsonTigers.com

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