Tigers Survive Elon’s Second-Half Surge in 58-56 Thriller

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

The #10 Towson Tigers return home to take on #9 Elon Phoenix. After a loss on the road to Drexel, the Tigers needed a win to improve their conference standing. After a thrilling contest and messy play, the Tigers would eke out the win, 58-56.

The ball tipped-off and both teams would scramble to take control of the game early on. With Tyler Coleman kicking off scoring for Tigers, the Phoenix would put up points of their own to take the lead early, 4-6. 

After almost two scoreless minutes for both teams, a clutch three-pointer from Ryan Conway would electrify SECU Arena and give the Tigers the lead, 7-6.

The first half would continue to see brief scoring droughts, miscommunications on the floor and bad ball security. Towson’s continued theme of lack of control and focus has plagued the preseason favorites late into the season.

“There’s nothing messy about winning,” said head coach Pat Skerry. “It beats the alternative. Once again, we want to shoot the ball better.”

After Elon’s Bryson Cokley’s buried three-pointer and a shooting foul on Tejada, Jack Doumbia, Jaquan Womack and Coleman would combine for an 8-0 run for the Tigers. Taking the lead by more than one score for the first time in the game, 15-10.

Still struggling offensively, both teams would try to push the other defensively, forcing fouls and held balls as neither side could find rhythm. The physical play slowed the pace, turning each possession into a grind, with neither offense able to generate consistent looks. 

Missed jumpers would force Skerry to constantly rotate his lineup, trying to find a solution to Towson’s problems and spark any sort of constant momentum for the Tigers.

The Tigers would maintain their small lead, highlighted by a Coleman layup in the paint, widening the gap to end the quarter, 26-22.

“I thought we did a really poor job guarding the three point shot, and that caused us to have to run uphill,” said Skerry. “

The Phoenix opened the second half with eight-straight, including two three-pointers, to take the early advantage. Coleman reopened Tigers’ scoring with a turnaround jumper in the paint to cut the edge, and layups from Jack Doumbia and Jaquan Womack reclaimed the lead for Towson.

Cokley split a pair of free-throws, but then nailed back-to-back three pointers to create a five-point separation from the Tigers. The two teams continued chipping back-and-forth with each other, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers for Towson’s Conway. 

During this back-and-forth, Tejada managed his first points of the match, a floater with 13 minutes to go. 

Tejada wasn’t the only Towson star who struggled offensively, however, as the Tigers’ Dylan Williamson couldn’t seem to find the net either. The junior point-guard finished the match 0-7, with six of the misses being from beyond-the-arc. 

With Towson’s two biggest names unable to connect for much of the match, other players had to step up in their place. It was Coleman who stepped up during a 10-point Tiger scoring run, earning five points himself, including finishing a three-point driving play. 

A timely steal from Towson’s Caleb Embaya made way for a Tejada layup, creating a four-point margin with just over three minutes to go. An electric dunk from Coleman lit up the crowd at SECU Arena, but Elon was able to tie the game with a pair of foul shots and a floater from Ja’juan Carr. 

Despite the tight match, Towson found success with their rebounding game– with Embaya and Doumbia leading the way. With under a minute left, the Tigers’ managed three scoring opportunities without turning the ball over accredited to these rebounds.

With 14 seconds to go, Coleman secured an offensive rebound and dished it to Doumbia who was able to finish a crucial layup for the Tigers. Both teams took timeouts, but Elon was left unable to answer with Towson earning the 58-56 victory. 

Coleman paced the Tigers with 17 points on 7-11 shooting in the victory. Doumbia added 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists. 

Conway was the lone Towson three-point scorer for the night, scoring 11 points highlighted by three three-pointers. Embaya contributed 10 rebounds and Tejada had a career-high game of seven assists.

“He’s had a good year for us. In this day and age when a guy sticks around for five years, it’s good to see them get rewarded with some playing time and success,” said Skerry.

Towson’s final home matchup is slated for Saturday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m.