Towson Falls 68–65 in Overtime Heartbreaker to Hofstra
By Kylie Jones, Deputy Sports Editor
After knocking out No. 2 Charleston for a ticket to the semifinal, the No. 7 Towson Tigers took on No. 3 Hofstra for a chance in the conference championship. Following a down-to-the-wire matchup, Hofstra hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer in overtime to send the Tigers home, 68-65.
Like most of the game, things remained tight in the first half of play.
Ryan Conway kicked off Tiger scoring with a triple, but Towson soon struggled with shot selection accredited to Hofstra’s defensive pressure.
Unlike the previous game against Charleston, Hofstra posed an early shooting threat against Towson, earning 15 of their total 27 first half points from beyond-the-arc.
Notably, Towson held the CAA player of the year, Cruz Davis, to just two-points throughout the entire first half. The junior guard shot just 1-7 from the field in the first 20 minutes of play.
Instead, it was the CAA rookie of the year, Preston Edmead who stood out early for the Pride. The freshman guard led the team with eight points at the half.
Tyler Tejada, much like the previous two nights, paced the Tigers’ offense– scoring eight points of his own, all in a row. It was Tejada who gave the Tigers a narrow 20-18 lead, and then knocked down both of his free throws to stretch the margin to four.
“It’s tremendous to see them play their best in this type of moment, in this type of environment,” head Coach Pat Skerry said.
At the end of the first half, the Tigers led by one point, 28-27.
Davis asserted his presence early in the second quarter– scoring eight points in just three minutes. Tejada interrupted this scoring run with a three pointer– but Towson still trailed.
The Tigers had a tough break when 6-foot-nine sophomore forward Caleb Embeya went down and was carried off the court. This left Mor Seck as the Tigers’ sole big man.
“I thought Seck did a great job. He played more minutes these last three games. I mean, he’s probably going to file for workman’s comp or something,” Skerry said. “He hung in there but we hope Caleb’s OK– they said it might be something with the knee. It’s a tough break but it’s part of the game.”
Dylan Williamson, who had 11-points in the half for Towson, hit a pull-up jumper that tied the game at 44. After a five-point spurt from Davis for Hofstra, Williamson answered with seven-straight, including a three-pointer that electrified the crowd.
“I think we had the most people– and the loudest,” Skerry said. “We felt that last night and tonight. We’ve got good guys and good players so you’re glad people come out to support them.”
Hofstra managed two-more three pointers in the half, but a successful three-point play from Tejada tied the game at 55 and overtime ensued.
In the first minute of overtime, Davis fouled out for Hofstra.
“As soon as I went out the game, Preston [Edmead] told me he got me,” said Davis. “So just having my teammates, I know they have my back.”
Other than two-points from freshman Jaquan Womack, Tejada was the lone Tiger scorer in extra minutes– managing eight points.
With two seconds left in overtime and the score tied at 65, Hofstra’s star freshman, Edmead, nailed a Hail Mary three-pointer over Williamson, leaving Towson no time to respond. Hofstra punched their ticket to the final with a score of 68-65, ending the Tigers’ postseason run.
“I mean, he banked it in from 37-feet, you can’t defend it much better,” Skerry said. “They made one more tough shot than we did.”
Tejada had 29 points and seven rebounds on the night. Williamson added 15 points in the loss.
“It’s an old saying, if you’re going to lose, lose gloriously,” Skerry said. “We didn’t get it done, I don’t think that makes me feel any less about the effort these guys gave and some of the success they had.”