Johnston's Career Night Lifts No. 11 Towson Over No. 6 Elon, 53-47
Rob Washburn
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 13, 2025) – Junior guard India Johnston scored a career-high tying 24 points, including four clutch free throws in the final 1:24, to lead No. 11 Towson over No. 6 Elon, 53-47, in the final second round game of the Credit Union 1 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship on Thursday night at CareFirst Arena.
The Tigers (12-19) became the first No. 11 seed to reach the CAA quarterfinals since 2006, where they will face No. 3 Campbell at 8:30 p.m. on Friday night. Elon dropped to 15-15 after the setback.
In addition to Johnston’s big offensive night, Towson got five points and a team-high 11 rebounds from Kayla Morris and seven points off the bench from Aminata Diakite.
For Elon, sophomore Raven Preston posted a double-double with team highs of 14 points and 13 rebounds. Jayda Angel added eight points and Iycez Adams snared 10 rebounds.
Up by three entering the fourth quarter, Towson needed less than two minutes to push its lead to eight, 42-34, on an Anasia Staton layup. However, Elon battled back, reeling off seven straight points on five free throws and a Preston layup to go ahead 47-46 with 1:46 remaining.
On the ensuing possession, Johnston sank a pair of free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt to put the Tigers back on top by one. A free throw by Anaiah Jenkins and two more from Johnston with 22.7 seconds left accounted for the final margin after Elon was unable to convert on six field goal attempts down the stretch.
Towson scored the final five points of the opening quarter, taking a 14-9 lead on Johnston’s three-pointer with 34 seconds left. The Tigers extended their advantage to nine midway through the second period behind five straight points from Diakite and a Staton layup that made it 23-14 at the six-minute mark.
Elon was still down seven with less than two minutes until the break but closed the half with momentum. An Angel jumper was followed by a Preston trey and Laila Anderson’s layup off a fast break sent the Phoenix into the locker room tied at 27-27.
Elon tallied four points in the first two minutes of the third period to take its biggest lead of the game. However, the Tigers responded with a 6-0 run and were able to go up 36-33 heading into the fourth after Johnston knocked down a trey from the right wing with 19 seconds on the clock.