The College of Charleston women’s basketball team will travel to Baltimore for a matchup against Towson University on Friday night. The game, which will be held at SECU Arena, marks the 25th contest of the season for the Cougars, who currently hold a 20-4 overall record and are 12-1 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play.
Charleston began its conference schedule with a 12-0 run and has reached 20 wins for the third consecutive year, setting a new standard in the program’s Division I history. The team’s notable achievements this season include a win over Florida State in December, marking their second straight victory over a Power 4 school and their first win against an ACC opponent since defeating Clemson in 2009.
The Cougars are ranked eighth in the latest College Insider Mid-Major top-25 rankings and hold positions of No. 102 in NET and No. 117 in Torvik rankings. Two returning starters from last year’s WNIT Super 16 squad include Taryn Barbot, who was named CAA Player of the Year.
Charleston added seven newcomers this season, including two starting transfers: Tyja Beans from Western Carolina and Grace Ezebilo from Tyler Junior College. In addition to team milestones, Charleston set a program record with 25 wins during the current Division I era and earned its first Power 4 win since 2009 by defeating Northwestern at the Hawk Classic last December.
Individually, Grace Ezebilo is among national leaders in several rebounding categories: fourth in offensive rebounds per game (4.7), sixth in rebounds per game (12.1), eighth in total rebounds (291), and within the top twenty for defensive boards per game (7.5). Taylor Barbot is one of only twenty-two players nationwide to have recorded a triple-double this season; she also ranks among national leaders for assists per game (6.1), total assists (146), and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.47).
As a team, Charleston ranks within the top twenty nationally for offensive rebounds per game (15.8) and turnover margin (6.92).
In their most recent outing, Charleston lost to Monmouth by a score of 69-57 at OceanFirst Bank Center on Sunday afternoon.
“Tyja Beans poured in eight first quarter points as the Cougars and the Hawks headed to the second period tied 18-all.
Monmouth scored the first six points of the second stanza and held a 33-24 advantage with 3:35 left in the half.
The Hawks then increased their lead to double digits as they held a 38-27 edge at the break.
Charleston scored the first four points of the second half, but Monmouth responded with an 8-2 run to take a 46-33 lead.
The Hawks held a 51-40 lead after the third quarter, and Charleston was never able to get within ten in the final frame as Monmouth won the contest,” according to information provided by College of Charleston Athletics.
This season marks fifty years since women’s basketball became a varsity sport at College of Charleston; throughout next year’s campaign feature stories about past players will be shared on cofcsports.com.
Towson enters Friday’s matchup with an overall record of fourteen wins and eleven losses—including seven wins against six defeats within conference play—and holds strong home form with nine victories out of twelve games played there so far this season. Senior guard India Johnston leads Towson offensively with averages of fourteen-and-a-half points along with just over two assists per contest; she was recognized as CAA Player of Week last December.
Historically speaking, Towson leads its series against Charleston by nineteen wins to seven; however, Charleston won their most recent meeting last year at TD Arena.
Taryn Barbot has been named CAA Player Of The Week four times this season after standout performances such as scoring twenty-five points alongside eight rebounds versus Elon earlier this month or averaging more than twenty-six points across opening weekend conference games back in January.
“Grace Ezebilo was named CAA Player Of The Week on February ninth after averaging eleven-and-a-half points along with an incredible twenty-one-and-a-half rebounds per game as she helped CofC win two games,” according to team sources.
Taylor Barbot also received recognition as Coastal Athletic Association Player Of The Week following her efforts leading all scorers during Charleston’s victory over Florida State earlier this winter.
Robin Harmony serves her seventh year as head coach at College Of Charleston—she was appointed April nineteenth two-thousand-nineteen—and has accumulated one hundred fifteen victories including three consecutive seasons surpassing twenty wins each under her leadership.
“In her most recent season Harmony led Cougars winningest D1 program history advancing semifinals CAA tournament Super Sixteen WNIT earning postseason victory ever home court,” according to official records from athletics staff.
Taryn Barbot continues her strong career trajectory having surpassed fifteen hundred career points—a mark that places her tenth all-time among Cougar scorers—and is approaching other statistical milestones such as two hundred steals while teammate Grace Ezebilo nears breaking single-season rebound records for CofC women’s basketball history.
The roster features two sets of twins—the Barbots and Philpotts—highlighting unique family ties within team composition this year.
Following Friday’s contest at Towson, Charleston returns home next week for another conference matchup against William & Mary scheduled for February twenty-seventh.
