
Tigers’ Second Half Surge Secures Big Win Over Huskies, 79-43
By: Kylie Jones, Staff Writer and Tori Rivera, Contributing Writer
Following a down-to-the-wire loss against North Carolina A&T, the Towson Tigers looked to take advantage of the 1-11 Northeastern Huskies, aiming to bounce back in conference play.
The Tigers came out hot, scoring from all areas of the court. This would end, however, after a series of missed shots would help the Huskies inch closer to Towson. With two minutes left in the first, Khady Leye finished one at the rim, giving the Tigers the narrow 12-10 lead to end the quarter.
Though Northeastern would take the first six of the second quarter, Towson was able to regain momentum which was fueled by back-to-back three-pointers from forward Caydence Hadley. Bristol, who formerly played for Northeastern, added a hard-fought layup against her old teammates, keeping the back-and-forth going.
Towson finally took the edge over the Huskies, finishing the second quarter with a score of 30-26 after India Johnston drained a three-pointer to cap off the half. Heading into halftime, Bristol, Leye, and Hadley each managed six points while India Johnston led the team with nine.
“India is a playmaker for this team, and she has success doing it. She’s always gonna be ready for the moment,” Head Coach Laura Harper said.
The second half began with a strong performance from Semaya Turner, who, in just the first three minutes, added six points for the Tigers while simultaneously asserting herself on the glass. This would bring the Tigers to a ten point lead over the Huskies, now with seven minutes left in the third quarter.
Staton ended a two-minute scoring drought by connecting on one of two free throws. Baynes followed this by knocking one down from beyond the arch after a dish-out from Leye. Leye would then assist another three ball to Jordan Wakefield, putting the Tigers above the Huskies with a score of 45-32. The Tigers closed the third quarter following a made three-pointer from Johnston, with a score of 49-37.
The fourth quarter would elicit an explosive performance from the Tigers as they were able to hold off the Huskies from scoring for the first four minutes, extending their lead to 20. Leye continued to dominate, adding ten more points for the Tigers.
Despite maintaining the lead for most of the game, the Tigers elevated their energy in the fourth quarter.
“Our team has been going through a lot of adversity, and we’ve been fighting every single day. It’s amazing to see our work come to fruition in the game,” said Harper.
Now above by 27, Aminata Diakite drained two three-pointers to extend the lead beyond 30. Hadley would add two more three-pointers, bringing her total to four for the game– a career best.
“We were very frustrated after losing both games last weekend by two points so we knew we needed a different level of energy and efficiency in this game and we’ll carry that with us into the next couple games after this bye [week],” Caydence Hadley said.
After a sensational second half, including a 30 point fourth quarter, the Tigers were able to shut down the Huskies from Northeastern with a final score of 79-43, their largest winning margin of the season.
Khady Leye boasted a double-double performance off the bench, leading the time with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Bristol would add 12 points and six rebounds while Turner contributed 10 points and seven rebounds. Hadley and Johnston would both put up 12 points for the Tigers.
“We haven’t even scratched the surface of who we can be,” added Harper.
The Tigers now head into a bye-week, with their next game being played on the road against Hampton on Friday, Jan.24 at 7 p.m.