Matchup        Towson (0-0) at No. 10/10 Iowa (0-0)
When             Monday, November 2 at 7 p.m. CT/ 8 p.m. ET
Where            Carver-Hawkeye Arena | Iowa City, Iowa
Live Stats      TowsonTigers.com
Stream           Big Ten Network+
Series            Iowa leads the all-time series 1-0
 
TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women's basketball team, in the fifth year under Head Coach Laura Harper, faces the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes to open the season on Monday at 7 p.m. CT/ 8 p.m. ET at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
 
The game will stream live on Big Ten Network+. Live stats can be found on TowsonTigers.com.
 
Season Preview
The 2026-27 Tigers' squad features seven returners and eight newcomers. Two of the Tigers' three top scorers from last season's squad, senior guards Thalia Shepard and Zoli Khalil, return at the helm.
 
Shepard added 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and one steal per game. Khalil shot 38.1% from the field and 31.3% from three, adding 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
 
Other returners include Masyn Marchbanks, who posted 6.9 PPG on 35.6% field goal and 35.2% three-point shooting, and Viki Matulevicius, who averaged 5.5 points on 39.9% FG and 39.1% 3PT shooting.
 
The Tiger transfer class includes two additions from Fairleigh Dickinson's 2025-26 squad, guard Ava Renninger and forward Akeelah Lafleur. In Renninger's two seasons at FDU, the Knights were 34-0 in conference contests.
 
Highlighting the first-year class is Eva Wilkerson, the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Player of the Year after averaging 15.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game.
 
The freshman forward pair of Diamond Watters, a 2026 McDonald's All-American nominee, and Peyton White, a Virginia all-state selection, will get minutes in the frontcourt.
 
Becky Hammon Watch List
Renninger was one of 25 players named to the 2027 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year preseason watch list, announced by Her Hoop Stats on Oct. 28.
 
The Yardley, Pa., native earned the preseason praise after averaging 12.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists on 38.4% field goal shooting on her way to an All-Northeast Conference (NEC) first team selection at Fairleigh Dickinson a season ago.
 
Renninger was named the NEC Tournament MVP after averaging 17.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in three games en route to the Knights' second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
Series History
The Tigers and Hawkeyes last faced on Nov. 28, 2019, a game the Hawkeyes' won 100-72 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
 
Preseason All-CAA Rankings
In the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) preseason poll, Towson was picked to finish fifth.
 
Monmouth landed atop the poll as the unanimous preseason favorite. Elon, Drexel and William & Mary finished second, third and fourth.
 
North Carolina A&T, Stony Brook, Charleston, Hofstra, Hampton, Northeastern, Campbell and UNCW rounded out the league.
 
Renninger earned an All-CAA honorable mention distinction after two seasons at the helm of the FDU backcourt.
 
Last Season's Recap
Towson finished the 2025-26 season at 16-14 overall and 10-8 in league play, earning the No. 7 seed in the CAA Championship last March.
 
After a first-round bye, the Tigers faced the No. 10 Hofstra Pride in their first game. India Johnston's free throw put the Tigers up four with 1:09 remaining in the fourth. The Pride hit a deep three in the closing seconds to reclaim the lead. The Tigers fell 72-71 after missing at the other end as time expired at CareFirst Arena.
 
Tiger in the Hawk House
Tiger assistant Zion Sanders returns to coach against her alma mater after playing for the Hawkeyes from 2017-21.
 
She totaled 54 points on 48.6% field goal shooting in 63 appearances off the bench.
 
Sanders appeared for Iowa in the only previous matchup between the two teams, securing one rebound and assist in the Hawkeyes' 100-72 win over the Tigers back in 2019.
 
A Familiar Foe
The Iowa Hawkeyes are a familiar foe for two Towson players. The Tigers two FDU transfers, Renninger and Lafleur, faced the Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament a season ago.
 
Renninger had 13 points, five rebounds and three assists in the Knights' 58-48 loss to Iowa in the Round of 64.