Towson University women’s basketball guard Kylie Kornegay-Lucas prides herself on leading the way for her team defensively, but she contributes in every facet of the game.
The 5-foot-10 fifth-year senior was the Tigers’ second-leading scorer entering play on Feb. 23 (13 points per game) and crossed the 1,000-point mark for her career in January. Although she is listed as a guard, she is the team’s leading rebounder (8.3 per game).
“We talk about setting the tone of how hard to go every minute you’re out there. That’s something that she does,” Towson head coach Laura Harper said. “She helps our guards make plays. She can throw passes with both hands and she can shoot with both hands. She jumps and rebounds at the rim better than anyone I’ve ever coached.”
Harper joined the Tigers following the 2021-22 season after earning MEAC Coach of the Year honors at Coppin State University. Harper was thrilled to have the opportunity to coach Kornegay-Lucas.
“I felt like she was very talented. She plays both sides of the ball exceptionally well,” Harper said. “Her athleticism, how she plays, I was extremely excited to have an opportunity to coach her.”
Kornegay-Lucas, a native of Camden, Del., decided to stay at Towson after Harper replaced Diane Richardson, who had left for Temple. Kornegay-Lucas heard how passionate Harper was during a speech to the team, and Harper ultimately boosted her confidence.
Kornegay-Lucas earned CAA Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-CAA honors during the 2022-23 season. In her first season starting, she tied for 26th in the nation with 79 total steals, led the team with 27 total blocks and tied for the team lead in rebounding (7.3 per game). She also led the Tigers in scoring (14.1 points per contest).
“I take a lot of pride in my defense. I always want to [guard] the ball and do the extra stuff on the court,” Kornegay-Lucas said. “I always want to guard the best player. I see that as a challenge to make me better as a player and I’ll always accept it.”
Kornegay-Lucas doesn’t back down from anyone, according to Harper, who said that led to her winning Defensive Player of the Year.
“She just has a drive,” Harper said. “There’s a want-to. She has a chip on her shoulder. She plays with an edge. She’s fearless. She won’t back down from anyone. You could ask her to guard someone that’s 300 pounds and she won’t back down from the challenge.”
But before she became a force for the Tigers, Kornegay-Lucas had to find her footing at the University of Virginia as a freshman in 2019-20. She was also determined to crash the boards with the Cavaliers, finishing second on the team (5.5 rebounds per game). She appeared in all but one game and scored a career-high 31 points against Old Dominion.
“My shots were hitting and I had the green light, so I just kind of took over the game,” Kornegay-Lucas said, recalling that November 2019 day.
She decided to leave Virginia because she “felt like it wasn’t the right fit” and “wanted to try new things and find a new journey somewhere else.” That led her to Towson, coached at that point by Richardson.
During her first season with the Tigers in 2021-22, Kornegay-Lucas won CAA Sixth Player of the Year by averaging 8.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in 19 minutes per game. She was also named to the CAA All-Tournament team.
“I was a redshirt due to me transferring, so I just wanted to start the season off strong and hard and leave everything on the court,” Kornegay-Lucas said.
Harper, who joined the program after that season, believes Kornegay-Lucas has become more vocal and capable of doing a bit of everything on the court the past two years.
“I think the growth since she’s been here is being focused and being a vocal leader for us,” Harper said. “She’s playing a little bit more point guard for us. She plays one through four. She does everything and anything we need from her, whether that means guarding the team’s best player or whether that means guarding a center.”
Kornegay-Lucas agreed.
“Every day [the coaches] push me just to be a more vocal leader and a role model on and off the court for my teammates,” she said.
The Tigers sat at 14-9 overall and 6-6 in the CAA entering play on Feb. 23 and are looking for a second consecutive winning season under Harper. Both Kornegay-Lucas and Harper have the same goal in mind — winning a conference championship.
“We’re fighting for a championship and we believe that we can get one,” Harper said. “But we also have to know that we have to, game by game, focus on doing and breaking down the things that we need to do to position us to win basketball games.”
Photo Credit: ENP Photography