Towson Tigers Secure Gritty 83-67 Win Over NC A&T, Climb to Second in CAA

By: Tommy Pelle, Deputy Sports Editor

With an opportunity to achieve their best start in CAA play in team history, the Towson Tigers welcomed the NC A&T Aggies to SECU Arena on Thursday night. After a hard-fought battle, the Tigers emerged victorious with an 83-67 win, moving to second place in the CAA standings.

Things got off to a quick start for the Tigers. Christian May knocked down two three-pointers, and Tyler Tejada added another in the first four minutes, putting Towson up 14-6. The lead swelled to 13 after a layup from Caleb Embeya with 13 minutes remaining in the first half.

“In recent games, we’ve gotten off to slow starts and had to pick it up in the second half,” said Tejada. “I think it was really good for everybody on the team to come out fast, get a good start, and have it carry over.”

However, the Aggies adjusted their game plan. Forcing Towson to attack the rim disrupted the Tigers’ rhythm. Towson managed just four points in the final four minutes of the first half. The Aggies capitalized, chipping away at a 15-point deficit to end the first 20 minutes trailing only 43-39.

After halftime, Towson struggled to regain its offensive rhythm. Each time the Tigers tried to extend their lead, a strong defensive effort by the Aggies kept the game close.

“All of a sudden, it hurts,” said Head Coach Pat Skerry. “You miss a couple of shots, and then we don’t cover rebounds. Guys feel that.”

With 10 minutes remaining, Towson’s lead had narrowed to 63-57. Facing pressure to avoid dropping a home game to a winless conference opponent, Nendah Tarke stepped up in a pivotal moment.

A thunderous dunk off an offensive rebound, followed by a three-pointer from Tarke, gave the Tigers a 13-point cushion with 8:13 left to play. From there, Towson maintained control, never allowing the Aggies to cut the lead to single digits again.

“They’ve been in most of the games that they’ve lost—most have been by single digits,” said Skerry. “We couldn’t totally separate, but we did enough, and we made some big plays on the glass late.”

Tejada led the Tigers with 20 points, shooting 3-8 from three-point range and a perfect 7-7 from the free-throw line. Tarke contributed 17 points on 4-8 shooting. Embeya and Mekhi Lowery both grabbed nine rebounds, helping Towson dominate the boards in crucial moments.

The Tigers improve to 11-9 overall and 6-1 in CAA play. Their next game is a road matchup against the Northeastern Huskies on Jan. 27, with tipoff scheduled for 9 p.m.

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