CONFERENCE NOTES:

BLUE HENS PUNCH TICKET TO BIG DANCE: Delaware defeated Drexel in the CAA Championship game 63-59 to win its third CAA Title and first since 2013. Jasmine Dickey was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after recording three straight double-doubles. The Blue Hens received the 14th seed in the Spokane Region and will face third-seeded Maryland on Friday. 

#CAAHOOPS WNIT/WBI BOUND: CAA regular-season Champion Drexel and Towson both received berths to play in the WNIT. Drexel will host Norfolk State on Thursday, while Towson will entertain Old Dominion on Friday. It's the seventh consecutive trip to the postseason for Drexel and the second in the past three seasons for Towson. Northeastern will also continue to postseason play, participating in the WBI. The Huskie will face Cleveland State in the first round on Friday.  

DREXEL EXTENDS POSTSEASON STREAK: Drexel has reached postseason play in either the NCAA Tournament or WNIT 12 of the last 13 seasons. This year's WNIT appearance will be the seventh straight postseason appearance for the Dragons. 

VARIETY OF CHAMPIONS: Five different teams have won the CAA Women's Basketball Championship since 2009 (JMU - 5, Delaware - 3, Drexel - 2, Elon - 2, Towson - 1). 

WHERE CHAMPIONS COME FROM: The No. 1 seed in the CAA Women's Basketball tournament won the title seven straight years from 2011-17. However, the past four champions have come from No. 3 Elon, No. 4 Towson, No. 3 Drexel and No. 2 Drexel. 

DRAGONS CLAIM REGULAR SEASON CROWN: Drexel earned the CAA regular-season title outright following a 16-2 mark in conference play. It's the third regular-season title for the Dragons in the last five years and fourth overall. Delaware finished in second, posting a 15-3 record, while Towson was third, going 14-4. It marks the first time three teams have had at least 14 conference wins since 2017-18. 

DICKEY EARNS BACK-TO-BACK POTY NODS: Delaware's Jasmine Dickey earned CAA Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. She becomes the first player to win back-to-back Player of the Year accolades since former Blue Hen Elena Delle Donne was selected in 2011 and 2012. Dickey is the seventh player in CAA history to collect the honors on more than one occasion.  

DICKEY NAMED MID-MAJOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALIST: CAA Player of the Year, Jasmine Dickey was named one of five finalists for the 2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award by Her Hoop Stats. The winner of the Mid-Major Player of the Year will be announced around the Women's Final Four.  

CURRENCE'S COURAGE SHINES: Northeastern senior guard Kendall Currence was named the 2022 Pat Summitt Most Courageous award winner by the USBWA Friday morning. The award dates back to 1977-78, annually honoring a player, coach, official, or administrator who demonstrates extraordinary courage reflecting honor on the sport of amateur basketball.

ON THE COURT AND IN THE CLASSROOM: Drexel's Tessa Brugler was named CoSIDA Academic All-District announced Thursday, Feb. 17. Brugler is the first Drexel player to earn honors since Michelle Maslowski in 2002 and is the fourth overall in program history. The graduate student has accumulated a 3.83 GPA pursuing a master's in Sports Business while averaging 14.0 points and 8.6 rebounds on the court. 

DREXEL TURNS NATIONAL HEADS: Drexel has received national recognition following its program-best 16-2 start. On Feb. 1, the USBWA named Drexel the National Team of the Week following a 13-game winning streak. The Dragons also received votes in the AP Poll on Feb. 8 and six straight USA Today/WBCA Top 25 Polls during the season. Drexel is the only CAA team to receive votes in the AP Poll this season, while they are the second to do so in Coaches Poll and the first since Delaware in the preseason.

CAA IN THE COLLEGE INSIDER MID-MAJOR TOP 25: Three CAA teams received recognition in the latest edition of the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. Drexel, Delaware and Towson stayed among the ranks in the final poll of the regular season. The Dragons led the way, ranking 12th. The Tigers followed at 18th and the Blue Hens round out things in 21st. It marks the sixth consecutive week at least three CAA teams have been ranked in the poll. 

NOTHING BUT NET: In the latest edition of the NCAA NET rankings, three CAA teams cracked the top 100 for the second week in a row. Towson ranked 79th to lead all CAA teams, while Drexel was 83rd, and Delaware rose to its highest rank this season, coming in at 93th.   

DICKEY NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: On Feb. 8, Delaware's Jasmine Dickey was honored as the USBWA National Player of the Week following her impressive performance last week. Dickey averaged 38.0 points and 17.0 rebounds, posting double-doubles in wins over Charleston and UNCW. Dickey poured in a career-high 52 points and tied a career-high 18 rebounds against the Cougars before 24 points and 16 rebounds versus the Seahawks.

NON-CONFERENCE, NO PROBLEM: It was an impressive statement throughout the non-conference slate as CAA teams have combined for a 60-42 record. Six teams posted at least six wins in non-conference play, with Towson earning a league-high nine victories. 

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: CAA teams have proved hard to beat on their home court this season, posting a 84-54 record at home, including a 50-40 record throughout CAA play. 

PROLIFIC SCORING: Delaware's Jasmine Dickey is third in NCAA women's basketball, averaging 25.1 points per game, while a pair of teams rank inside the top 25 in scoring offense. On Feb. 4, Dickey scored a career-high 52 points against Charleston, which ranks second in all-time Delaware and CAA history. She is the only player in DI with a 40+ and 50+ point performance this season. As a team, Charleston ranks 21, scoring 74.9 points per game while Towson is 24th averaging 74.2 points per game. 

LOCKDOWN DEFENSE: Drexel leads the league in scoring defense and ranks second in field goal percentage defense (36.7%). The Dragons are 28th in the NCAA, allowing 55.8 ppg. Towson leads the conference in field goal percentage defense, ranking 15th nationally, holding opponents to 35.5% shooting from the floor.  

STONE COLD THIEVERY: Two CAA players are top 15 nationally in steals per game. Claudia Soriano of Northeastern ranks eighth in the NCAA with 3.14 steals per game and is ninth in total steals (88). Charleston's Jenna Annecchiarico is sixth in total steals (89) and 11th in steals per game (2.87).

DROPPING DIMES: Three CAA student-athletes rank top 30 nationally in assists per game this season. Charleston's Jenna Annecchiarico ranks ninth in the NCAA in assists per game (6.3) and sixth in total assists (195), while Brie Perpignan of Elon is 20th in assists per game (5.5) and 26th in total assists (159). Towson's Aleah Nelson is 28th nationally in assists per game (5.4) and 24th in total assists (164). 

CLEANING THE GLASS: Two CAA teams are top 10 in the NCAA in rebounds per game, while a pair of athletes crack the top 25. Towson ranks seventh nationally in rebounding (44.8 rpg), while Delaware is eighth (44.5 rpg). Delaware's Ty Battle is 12th in the NCAA with 11.5 rebounds per game, while JMU's Jaylin Carodine is 23rd with 10.7. On Thursday, Battle secured a career-high 24 rebounds, marking her second game with 20+ rebounds this season. The 24 boards tied the CAA single-game record, which was set in 1994. 

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: Drexel posts the fourth-best assist to turnover ratio (1.51) in the nation. The Dragons turn the ball over at the third-lowest rate nationally, averaging just 11.1 turnovers per game, and have the ninth-fewest turnovers (344) in the NCAA this year. 

FORCE MY HAND: Charleston causes havoc on defense, ranking ninth nationally in steals per game (11.5) and 17th in turnovers forced (20.23). Subsequently, the Cougars are fifth in the NCAA, maintaining a +7.03 turnover margin. Charleston has recorded 20+ steals twice this season, including a program-record 29 against Agnes Scott (Dec. 15). 

1K AND COUNTING: Nine CAA Players have eclipsed the 1,000 career point barrier this season. Drexel teammates Hannah Nihill and Keishana Washington surpassed the mark and now rank top 15 all-time on the Dragons scoring list. Charleston's Jenna Annecchiarico tallied the mark five days after setting the Charleston single-game points (36) record, and Elon's Brie Perpignan eclipsed the milestone the same night she set a career-high with 34 points. Additionally, JMU's Kiki Jefferson, Delaware's Ty Battle, Syndey Wanger of William & Mary, Hofstra's Jalen Hines and Kendall Currence of Northeastern eclipsed the milestone. Charleston's Tyler Collins was the most recent to accomplish the feat on Thursday.

TRIPLE THREAT: On Feb. 9, Kylie Kornegay-Lucas recorded her first career triple-double, tallying 11 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists. She became the second player to post a triple-double in Towson's DI program history, and it marks the first CAA triple-double since March 1, 2018, when Elon's Shay Burnett complete the feat. Kornegay-Lucas is one of 25 NCAA DI players to record a triple-double this season.  

EADY BECOMES CHARLESTON'S REBOUNDING QUEEN: Senior Arynn Eady etched her name in the Charleston record book, becoming the program's all-time leader in rebounding on Feb. 27. Eady grabbed 11 boards to bring her career total to 849, surpassing Breanna Bolden's 845 rebounds. Eady ranks fourth in the CAA averaging 9.3 rebounds per game and her career total now sits at 887.

DICKEY CLIMBS DELAWARE CAREER RANKS: Senior Jasmine Dickey eclipsed 1,500 career points in the Blue Hens' win over JMU on Jan. 19. Dickey has climbed to second in Delaware program history with 1,950 career points. She also ranks top 10 in Delaware program history in double-doubles (3rd/47), rebounds (5th/1,030) and steals (7th/212).  

NIHILL RISING IN THE DREXEL RECORDS: Senior Hannah Nihill has been a staple in the Drexel program for the past five seasons, as is evident by her name rising through the Drexel records. Nihill surpassed 1,000 career points earlier this season and currently ranks 14th on the Dragons scoring list. She has also climbed her way in the top five of assists (4th/514), steals (2nd/305) and is the program leader for games played (149). 

DICKEY NAMED CHERYL MILLER AWARD TOP 10: Blue Hen Jasmine Dickey was named one of the top 10 candidates for the 2022 Cheryl Miller Award announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. The award named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year and 1995 Hall of Famer, recognizes the top small forward in women’s NCAA Division I basketball.

DICKEY NAMED TO DAWN STALEY AWARD LATE SEASON WATCH LIST: Delaware's Jasmine Dickey has been named to the late-season watch list for the 2022 Dawn Staley Award announced by the Phoenix Club of Philadelphia. The award is given to the player who exemplifies the skills that Dawn possessed throughout her career; ball handling, scoring, her ability to distribute the basketball and her will to win, recognizing the top guard in women’s NCAA Division I basketball annually. 

FRESHMEN PHENOMS: Two freshmen have shined bright in their first collegiate seasons as Charleston's Grace Abercrombie and Claudia Soriano of Northeastern have combined to take home CAA Rookie of the Week honors on 10 of the 13 occasions this winter. Soriano leads all freshman, collecting honors seven weeks a Northeastern single-season record. Abercrombie has earned accolades three times.  

JMU & TOWSON PICK UP POWER FIVE VICTORIES: James Madison and Towson picked up wins over Power Five opponents in the first week of the season as JMU defeated Virginia 84-69, and Towson downed Florida 87-70. It is the second straight season that JMU has defeated the Cavilers and the fourth win in the previous five meetings against Virginia. For Towson, it was the Tigers' first Power Five victory since the 2009-10 season. It was the first-ever meeting between Towson and the Gators, and it marks the Tigers' first win over an SEC team in program history. 

SMITH BECOMES ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COACH IN ELON HISTORY: Elon University head coach Charlotte Smith became the program leader for all-time wins (173) on Nov. 22, as the Phoenix earned a 10-point victory over North Carolina A&T, 76-66. Smith's career record sits at 185-142, with her entire tenure as a head coach coming at Elon. She passed Brenda Paul (172-225), who coached the Phoenix from 1994-2008. 

THE FIRST OF MANY: Northeastern head coach Bridgette Mitchell picked up her first career win in the Huskies season opener against Holy Cross. Mitchell is in her first season as head coach of Northeastern, returning to the CAA, where she was an assistant at JMU from 2016-19. Mitchell, most recently, spent the previous two seasons as an assistant at Pittsburgh before becoming the seventh head coach in Northeastern program history. 

NEW FACES COMING SOON: The CAA announced the additions of Hampton, Monmouth, and Stony Brook as full members of the league for the 2022-23 season. The Pirates join from the Big South, the Hawks from the MAAC, and the Seawolves from the America East. 

TEAM NOTES:

Charleston

• Charleston advanced to the CAA Semifinals following a 70-59 win over Elon before falling to Drexel 71-65. 

• Jenna Annecchiarico averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game for the tournament. She scored 24 with seven rebounds and five assists in the semifinals.  

• Annecchiarico leads the CAA in assists (6.3), is second in steals per game (2.9), and fourth in points per game (16.7).  

• Arynn Eady recorded back-to-back double-doubles. In the quarterfinals, she had 18 points and 12 rebounds. 

• Eady leads the CAA in blocks per game (2.1) and ranks sixth in steals per game (2.1). She has recorded at least one block and one steal in 19 games this season.  

• Tyler Collins added 11.0 points per game off the bench, including 15 in the quarterfinals.

• Latrice Perkins contributed 11.5 points per game and had 14 in the quarterfinals. 

• With the win in the quarterfinals, Charleston advanced to the CAA Semifinals for the first time since 2014. 

• It's the first winning season for Charleston since 2013-14 after finishing 18-13 overall. 

Delaware

• Delaware defeated Drexel 63-59 in the CAA Championship game to win its third CAA Title in program history. 

• Jasmine Dickey was named MOP of the tournament after averaging 26.0 ppg and 14.7 rpg. She tallied 27 points and 18 rebounds in the Championship game.  

• Dickey is third in the NCAA, averaging 25.0 points per game. She reached double figures in 20 straight games. 

• Ty Battle earned All-Tournament Team honors, recording double-doubles in the quarterfinals and semifinals. She averaged 11.7 points and 12.0 rebounds per game for the tournament.

• Battle leads the CAA with 22 double-doubles and 11.5 rebounds per game. She has grabbed 10+ rebounds in 14 straight games. 

• Tyi Skinner added 10 points in the semifinals and sank the game-winning free throws with 0.4 seconds remaining in the game. 

• Lizzie Oleary grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in the quarterfinals.

• It's Delaware's first CAA Championship since winning back-to-back in 2012 and 2013.  

Drexel

• Drexel fell to Delaware 63-59 in the CAA Championship game. 

• Keishana Washington earned All-Tournament team honors, averaging 22.7 ppg and scoring 20+ in all three contests. 

• Washington has reached double-figures in all 31 games this season and ranks second in the CAA, averaging 19.7 ppg. 

• Tessa Brugler earned All-Tournament team accolades, contributing 16.3 ppg and 11.3 rpg. She recorded double-doubles in the quarters and semis while adding 17 points and eight rebounds in the championship.

• Brugler ranks fourth in the CAA with 12 double-doubles. Previously, Drexel had three double-doubles in the past two years. 

• Hannah Nihill reached double figures in all three games, averaging 11.3 ppg. She also added 4.0 apg. 

• Drexel leads the CAA in scoring defense (55.8), field goal (42.8) and free throw (77.0) percentage, assists per game (16.7) turn and assist/turnover ratio (1.51). 

• Drexel will make its fourth straight appearance in the postseason, receiving a berth to the WNIT.  

Elon

• Elon fell in the CAA Quarterfinals to Charleston 70-59. The Phoenix conclude the year with a 17-12 record overall. 

• Evonna McGill recorded her first double-double of the season to lead the Phoenix. She recorded a game-high 19 points with 10 rebounds. 

• McGill is tied for the league lead in field goal percentage, shooting 58.9% from the floor this season. 

• Brie Perpignan contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. 

• Perpignan scored in double figures 22 games to end the season. She ranks fifth in the CAA in scoring (16.6 ppg) and second in assists per game (5.5). 

• Kayla Liles added 10 points, five rebounds and three assists in the effort. 

• Liles ranks sixth in the conference in steals per game (2.07). She recorded two or more in 17 games this season. 

• Liles led the team in rebounding (6.2 rpg) and made three-pointers (47) this season. 

Hofstra

• Hofstra fell in the CAA Quarterfinals to Drexel 60-39 after a win over UNCW in the first round (46-45). The Pride ends the year 8-20 after the loss.

• Jaylen Hines led Hofstra in both games. She recorded her eighth double-double this season, with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. 

• Hines tallied 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in the loss. 

• Hines has scored in double figures, a team-best 22 games this season, including the last 13 games of the season. 

• Against UNCW, Sorelle Ineza tallied eight points, including the eventual game-winning three with 1:06 remaining in the contest. 

• In the first round, Rosi Nicholson recorded three steals, while Jahsyni Knight had a game-high four. 

• Nicholson ranks third in the CAA with 2.4 steals per game. She has recorded multiple steals 18 times this season.  

• With the win, it marks the third time in the last four years that Hofstra has won at least one game in the CAA Championship. The Pride has won four games during that span.

James Madison

• James Madison went 1-1 in its final week of the regular seaon, falling to Drexel (80-60) before a win against Delaware (78-62).  

• Kiki Jefferson averaged 21.0 points per game to lead JMU. She 20 points in the victory on Saturday after 22 on Thursday. 

• Jefferson ranks third in the conference scoring 18.8 points per game. She has eclipsed double figures in 25 games this season and has 20+ in five of the last six. 

• Jaylin Carodine led JMU in rebounding, averaging 11.5 per game. She grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds against Delaware.  

• Carodine ranks second in the conference with 10.7 rebounds per game. She has recorded 10 or more rebounds in 15 contests this year.  

• Jamia Hazell chipped in 15 points off the bench in the Dukes' victory. 

• On Saturday, Brianna Tinsley added 14 points, three assists and two steals. She reached double figures in three of her last four.  

• JMU held Delaware to 27.4% (20-73) shooting from the floor. It marks a season-low for the Blue Hens and the lowest by a JMU opponent this season. 

UNCW

• UNCW fell in the first round of the CAA Tournament to Hofstra 46-45. The Seahawks end the year 3-26 overall after going 0-18 in conference play.  

• Allie Best paced UNCW with 14 points, tying a season-high with four made threes. 

• Best recorded at least one three-point field goal in 20 straight games. She ranks second in the CAA in three-point field goal percentage (36.3%).

• Sierra DaCosta added 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal. 

• DaCosta reached double figures in 19 contests this season to lead UNCW. 

• Carrie Gross was the Seahawks' second-leading scorer on the season with 9.4 points per game. 

• Gross ranks fourth in the CAA in free throw percentage, shooting 87.3% from the charity stripe. 

• Micah Hoggatt topped UNCW in rebounding at 6.0 per game. She also led the team with five double-doubles

Northeastern

• Northeastern fell to Towson 58-49 in the CAA Quarterfinals. 

• Katie May matched a career-high with 18 points in the contest. The senior guard went 4-for-7 from beyond the arch. 

• Kendall Currence reached double figures, adding 12 points with eight rebounds. 

• Currence led Northeastern in scoring this year, averaging 15.9 points per game to rank seventh in the CAA. 

• Claudia Soriano had an impressive freshman season, ranking second on Northeastern with 11.3 points per game. She also led the team in assists (108) and steals (88). 

• Soriano has recorded multiple steals in 25 games this season and has four or more on 12 occasions. She leads the conference with 3.1 steals per game. 

• Emily Calabrese finished the season third in the CAA in field goal percentage (53.1%). She led the team in rebounds (165) while scoring 7.8 points per game. 

• As a team, Northeastern ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 41.0% from the floor. 

Towson

• After a fourth-quarter comeback in the CAA Quarterfinals, Towson fell to Delaware 56-55 in the final seconds of the CAA Semifinals.

• Kylie Kornegay-Lucas averaged 13.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game in the tournament. She matched a team-high with 15 points against Delaware. 

• In the semifinals, Tarriyonna Gary matched a team-high 15 points, including the go-ahead three with eight seconds remaining.  

• In the semifinals, Allie Kubek recorded her fifth double-double this season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. 

• In the quarterfinals, Aleah Nelson had a team-high 14 points and added five rebounds with three assists. 

• Nelson ranks sixth in the CAA in scoring (16.4 ppg) and third in assists per game (5.3). 

• In the quarterfinals, Anissia Rivera scored 11 points, including eight in the fourth quarter. She also grabbed eight rebounds to match a team-high.

• Towson's 24 wins mark a new program record for the Tigers. The previous best of 22 wins was set in 2007-08. 

William & Mary

• William & Mary dropped a 61-35 decision to Delaware in the CAA Quarterfinals. The Tribe ended the year 10-20 after the setback. 

• Riley Casey led William & Mary with 15 points in the contest. Casey reached double figures 18 times during the season and was 

• Casey leads the CAA with 2.67 three-pointers per game and tops the conference in three-point field goal percentage (38.1%).

• Sydney Wagner chipped in seven points, four rebounds and three assists. 

• Wagner had a team-best 22 double-figure performances this season and finished the season averaging 14.6 points per game to lead the Tribe.  

• Wagner led the CAA in minutes played per game, averaging 34.54 this season.

• Kate Sramac led the team, averaging 5.5 rebounds per game. She also recorded a team-best 93 assists on was one steal shy (47) the team-high. 

• William & Mary leads the CAA in team three-point field goal percentage, shooting 32.3% from behind the arc.