TU women’s basketball off to best start in more than 40 years
Behind stifling defense and balanced offense, the Tigers are ready for CAA play
By Kyle Hobstetter on January 19, 2022
When asked to describe what it’s like to go to a TU women’s basketball game, head coach Diane Richardson couldn’t hold back her praise.
“It’s a lot of excitement,” she says. “This is women’s basketball you haven’t seen before. There is a lot of quickness, a lot of speed and the way we play together is just so exciting.”
The results on the floor have matched that enthusiasm. The team started the season 11-1, which is the program’s best start since the 1976–77 season.
Currently 12-3, the Tigers have picked up wins against Florida, East Carolina and James Madison, with the only losses coming against the nation's fourth-ranked team North Carolina State, Ivy League favorite Princeton and Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival Drexel on the road.
As the team heads into the final two months of the season, Coach Richardson says the fast start is really a credit to chemistry among the players.
“The staff has put together a cast of great kids that are not only very skilled on the court, but they are committed to the game, to each other and to the program,” Richardson says. “It’s been easy for me. Actually I’m going to take that back because I’ve had some stressful nights. But it’s easier when you’ve got kids that really want to play for each other.”
The team has also picked up the pressure on the defensive end. After being one of the top teams in the nation in fast break points last year, the Tigers have become more well-rounded this season, ranking in the top three in the CAA in scoring offense and defense.
The Tigers have held eight opponents to under 35.5% shooting in a game and also lead the conference in blocked shots and are second in steals. Richardson is thrilled to see the team become more balanced.
“We now don’t have to depend on our offense; we know our defense will also keep us in games,” Richardson says. “We always had speed, but last year we weren’t necessarily good at defending. So, we went into this year knowing we had to pick up our defense. And this team bought into that.”
The focus on defense hasn’t taken away the team’s ability to put up points. Richardson says this is one of her deepest teams in years, and it has scorers at every position.
Leading the way is junior guard Aleah Nelson, who is top five in the CAA in scoring and assists. The Baltimorean scored a career-high 39 points against Florida, setting a new building record at NC State’s Reynolds Coliseum, the storied arena where the game was played.
After earning All-CAA Second Team honors last season, Nelson hasn't missed a beat.
“She’s done an incredible job at running our offense,” Richardson says. “Aleah knows how to score, and she also knows how to get her teammates involved and get them to score as well.”
Contributing to the offense has been sophomore forward Allie Kubek. The Elkton, Maryland, native has been one of the top scorers in the CAA, ranking fourth in points per game and second in field goal percentage.
Kubek has been named CAA Player of the Week twice this season and last year was named to the CAA-All-Rookie Team. Richardson says she has pushed Kubek to refine her game more, especially behind the 3-point line where she leads the team in 3-point field goal percentage.
“Allie’s worked really hard on her game to the point where she’s become a mismatch on the court,” Richardson says. “She can score inside and outside, and it just makes it even hard for opponents to defend her.”
The recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the nation has impacted the team's schedule. The Tigers did not have a game between Dec. 11 and Jan. 7. Five games were either canceled or postponed. Richardson said the situation brought the team closer.
“They never gave up their desire to play,” she says. “They came into practice every day to prepare as if we were going to play the next day. I have to give them credit for that because they could have gotten down on themselves, gotten down on the season, but they’ve continued to work hard.”
The Tigers are in action again on Friday, Jan. 21, at the College of Charleston, followed by a game on Sunday, Jan. 23, at UNCW. The team returns to SECU Arena on Friday, Jan. 28, against Northeastern. For a complete schedule, check out TowsonTigers.com and to stay up to date on the team, follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.