Strong start to the second half propels Towson Men’s Basketball past Drexel
By: Jake Shindel, Sports Editor
Towson Men’s Basketball defeated Drexel 64-58 behind 24 points from Guard Nicolas Timberlake. The team moves to 1-1 in conference play after the win despite not having starting Guard Jason Gibson, who has been out since Nov. 13 and starting Guard Cam Holden, who missed the game.
“I thought we did a good job taking care of the ball,” Head Coach Pat Skerry said. “We haven’t done a good job of that in this stretch.”
The team only had two turnovers in the first half compared to 11 in the first half against Charleston. Towson had six turnovers in the second half but still won the game.
Skerry said that during Towson’s last four games entering the contest with Drexel, the team turned the ball over between 24-27%, whereas the team’s goal is to be at 16%. Against Drexel, the team’s turnover percentage sat at 11.87%.
Towson held Drexel to one point through the first four-and-a-half minutes of the game, with the Tigers leading 7-1 at the under-16 timeout. Drexel cut Towson’s lead to three going into the under-12 timeout. Timberlake led all scorers through the first eight minutes, scoring six points off 3-5 shooting.
With five minutes left in the first half, Towson held a 20-16 lead. A layup by Forward Sekou Sylla increased Towson’s lead to six. Going into the break, Towson held a 30-24 lead behind Timberlake’s 11 points off 5-7 shooting. For Drexel, Guard Mate Okros led the way with eight points.
After Towson scored 11 points in the first three minutes of the second half without a miss, Drexel called a timeout. A three from Guard Ryan Conway gave Towson a 15-point lead at the under-16 timeout.
Towson’s hot start to the second half continued into the under-12 timeout, with the Tigers holding a 52-38 lead. The team shot 69% over the first nine minutes of the second half.
“I liked our start in the second half,” Skerry said. “I thought we played some sharp and inspired basketball.”
Drexel cut the lead to single digits at the under-8 timeout behind seven points for Amari Williams in the first 12 minutes of the second half. Skerry called a timeout once the Tiger lead was cut to five amid a five-minute scoring drought for Towson. Drexel put together a 13-0 run to cut the lead to three before a bucket from Forward Charles Thompson put Towson’s lead back at five.
Towson maintained a six-point lead at the under-4 timeout. The team’s shooting percentage in the second half dipped to 52%, down from 69%, with just over three minutes remaining in the game. A loose ball led to a Towson timeout.
Drexel utilized intentional fouls down the stretch, but it was not enough to overcome Towson’s lead. The Tigers hung on to win 64-58.
