Khalil, Sjökvist lead Towson to commanding 76–54 victory over Stetson

By: D’Mari Dreher-Smith, Sports Editor and Kylie Jones, Deputy Sports Editor

Coming off of their explosive 100 point victory against Frostburg State, the Towson Tigers returned home in dominant fashion to take on the Stetson Hatters. With standout shooting and stellar defense, Towson sent the Hatters home, 76-54. 

Despite Stetson drawing first blood, Towson quickly responded to take control of the first quarter of play. Senior point guard India Johnston at the head of this dominance, setting the tone for Towson with her poised control of the floor. 

“India is one of our best playmakers,” said head coach Laura Harper. “When she’s aggressive and she’s getting a piece of the paint playing off two feet, she’s able to find her teammates.”

Leading the defensive charge, forward Hannah Dereje quickly notched six rebounds in seven minutes for the Tigers. The addition of Dereje’s 6’3 frame has already made an impact for the Tigers just three games into the season. 

The perimeter threat Tilda Sjökvist proved she was more than just a shooter, driving and finishing one in the paint for Towson. Viki Matulevicius followed that by knocking down a three-pointer to bring the Tigers to a 18-5 lead. 

More impressive than the Tigers’ offense was their total denial in the paint against the Hatters. In the first quarter, Towson held Stetson to 2-16 in field goals which limited the Hatters’ scoring to a narrow five points to Towson’s 18 to end the first quarter. 

Towson slowed down significantly in the second quarter, allowing for Stetson to go on a series of runs that helped them gain an edge on the Tigers. Both offensively and defensively, the Tigers didn’t settle into a groove in the second– scoring just eleven points and finishing the half with a narrow 29-22 lead. 

After getting into early foul trouble, Zoli Khalil returned to the court and kicked off a twelve-point Tiger run to start the second half. By the fifth minute, Khalil had already notched 10 points in the quarter– proving her presence on the squad. 

The third quarter then turned into a Tiger three party led by Sjokvist who shot 4-4 from deep. Sjökvist also had perfect free-throw shooting, going 2-2 from the line to complete her 14-point third quarter. 

Khalil brought her quarter total 13 with her second three-pointer, and Thalia Shepard followed with one of her own. 

“We knew the first five minutes, we had to come out and hit them first,” said Khalil. “Coming in at halftime can be a pivotal point in the game.”

Out-scoring the Hatters 36-13, the Tigers closed down the third quarter with a score of 65-35.

Stetson didn’t bow to Towson in the final quarter, going on a 13-4 run to give the Tigers some early trouble in the fourth. These runs proved unsuccessful, however, as the Hatters just couldn’t close the gap with Towson. 

The Tigers earned their second victory of the season with a final score of 76-54 and a standout 20-point performance from Khalil. 

“I think it was all stacking together, just energy was there,” said Khalil. “Honestly, I don’t know if we’ve felt like that before. It was awesome.”

Sjökvist contributed 16 points on 50% shooting from deep and also added eight assists. Johnston pitched in 10 points and Shepard offered nine points and seven rebounds in the victory. 

The Tigers next matchup is on the road against the Maryland Terrapins on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m.