Second-Half Surge Lifts Towson Over Loyola in Season Debut

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

The Towson Tigers traveled down the highway to take on the Loyola Greyhounds in the 2025-26 season opener at the Hall of Fame Classic. 

The Tigers opened fast, a point of struggle over the last two seasons. Returning CAA Player of the Year, Tyler Tejada, and newcomer, Tyler Schmidt, put up the first points for the Tigers.

Both teams struggled to find a rhythm in the first half, with few points being traded back-and-forth from free throw shooting. Jack Doumbia, the newly acquired guard from Norfolk State made his entrance for the Tigers as well, but struggled to get things going after offering a number of unsuccessful drives early in the half. 

The Tigers found their stride in freshman Jaquan Womack, who quickly dominated in his first official collegiate appearance. Womack, finding success in his ability to finish at the rim, notched six points in the first half to put himself in a three-way tie for the team’s point leader.

Despite Womack heating things up, the rest of the roster lagged behind for much of the half. It wasn’t until the final three minutes that the energy began to lift for Towson.

Doumbia was part of the solution, adding a pull-up jumper in the paint and a put-back layup to bring the Tigers within one bucket of Loyola. Doumbia also asserted himself as a force under the rim, adding five rebounds in the first half, a team high.

Dylan Williamson brought the game to a 28-28 draw at the half after finishing a turnaround jumper in the paint. 

“At halftime coach challenged us to get on the glass and really just attack those guys,” said Williamson. “In the second half, we kinda slowed ourselves down and figured it out.”

Towson started the second half on a heater, opening with a six-point run that gave the Tigers an early lead, highlighted by a driving scoop layup from Tejada. The second half saw plenty of rotations and substitutions, as the Tigers continued searching for that sweet spot to carry them through the season.

”I’ve got to do a better job of figuring out rotations. We’re not there yet,” said head coach, Pat Skerry. “We’ve got 12 guys that I think are capable of helping us throughout the season.”

In a game defined by runs and scoring droughts, Towson needed a consistent defensive presence and an efficient shooting effort from Tejada and Williamson to pull them through the final 13 minutes.

The Tigers got just that.

In stark contrast to the first half, Towson was able to force feeds inside, racking up an impressive 44 points in the paint. After shooting just 36.7 percent in the first half, the Tigers found their rhythm, finishing the second at 51.9 percent from the field.

With a tightened defensive effort, points generated off turnovers, and an unstoppable Tejada-Williamson duo, the Greyhounds were stunted.

”We’ve been doing it for three years. I know his game, He knows my game. It’s easy to play off each other,” said Tejada.

Still, a few defensive miscues from the Tigers allowed Loyola to capitalize with a four-point run—all from free throws. Doumbia, now at 11 points, broke the streak with a strong driving layup to make it 63-50.

Loyola’s final push for a comeback ultimately fell short, sealing Towson’s first win of the 2025–26 season, 67–56.

“I think Towson is a very good basketball team. I think they have a couple guys who are very hard to stop,” said Loyola head coach, Josh Loeffler. “I really think they have something that they’ve built into a really nice program.”

Tejada led the way with a career-high 24 points in a season opener, earning player of the game honors. Williamson and Doumbia Jr. joined him in double figures to round out a strong debut for the Tigers. Tejada and Williamson combined for 28 points in the last half.

Next up, Towson hits the road to face the No. 2-ranked Houston Cougars. Tipoff is set for Saturday, Nov. 8, at 3 p.m.