Towson?s women?s basketball team obviously wants to be the best team in the Colonial Athletic Association. But it knows that if it can finish as one of the top four, it should earn a berth in a postseason tournament for the first time since 1980.
Last year, CAA champion Old Dominion received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, with James Madison and Virginia Commonwealth each receiving at-large bids. Hofstra finished fourth and earned a trip to the Women?s NIT.
“For the last seven years, we talk about keeping improving,” Towson coach Joe Mathews said. “If we can get to 20 wins for the first time in program history, that?s what we want. If we can finish in the top-four in the league, the postseason is something we talk about daily.”
But the Tigers have plenty of work to do if they want to earn a bid of their own. Despite winning a school-record 17 regular season games last year ? 17-12 overall, 8-10 in the CAA ? Towson was picked to finish sixth in the conference this year, behind Old Dominion, James Madison, William & Mary, Virginia Commonwealth and Delaware.
The Tigers must also replace graduated forward Kelly Robinson, who averaged 10.2 points per game and scored 1,000 in her career.
“Last year was dominated by the top four teams, but this year I think the league is going to have a different flavor,” Mathews said. “I think anyone on any given night could knock off the top group.”
The Tigers are one of the league?s most experienced teams, as they returned four starters and 10 letter winners from last season team. Guard Shanae Baker-Brice, who averaged a team-high 13.7 points per game, was a preseason Second Team All-CAA selection. Alis Freeman, recovering from a knee injury that limited her last season, will be expected to run the offense, as she ranked sixth in the CAA last year with 3.83 assists per game. In the front court it will be up to sophomore forward Kandace Davis to replace some of Robinson?s production, as she averaged five points per game and finished the year with 23 blocks.
And if history is any indication, Towson should again eclipse the school record for wins this winter. In his six previous seasons, Matthews has led the Tigers to more victories than it posted in the previous year five times.
“We have to defend and rebound,” Mathews said. “I think we are going to stick the ball in the basket so we have to find different ways to offset that. If we can do those two things we will have a great year.”
