PHILADELPHIA, Pa. ? If the final seconds of the first half had played differently it might have made a difference in favor of the Tigers instead of providing a boost to unbeaten Villanova as the 20th-ranked Wildcats went on to beat Towson 64-47 Friday night in the Philly Hoop Group Classic at the Palestra.
The Tigers, now 3-2 on the season, close out their play in this tournament Saturday night when they face Penn State in the Palestra in a first-ever meeting at 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised on CN8 and broadcast on WTMD (89.7 FM) Radio. The Nittany Lions were beaten, 77-72, by Rhode Island in their match up Friday night, ending an undefeated 5-0 start to their season.
Towson's defense frustrated the Wildcats (5-0) early and resulted in very little scoring. The score didn't climb out of single digits until the 11:01 mark when Antonio Pena's slam put Villanova ahead 11-7.
From there Villanova stretched its lead to nine several times but the Tigers kept the Wildcats within reach. Calvin Lee's short baseline jumper cut the Wildcat lead to 25-24 with 4:25 left in the first half. The two teams traded buckets until Corey Fisher buried a three-pointer at the buzzer to send Villanova into the lockeroom with a 33-28 advantage at the break.
“We had chances in those final seconds to either tie it or go up by one,” said Tigers coach Pat Kennedy, “but instead they score. We just couldn't make any shots, especially when we had to. But I was very proud of our effort tonight, especially on defense against the number 20 team in the nation.”
Villanova then scored the first seven points of the second half to race to a double digit lead. The Wildcats eventually built to a 21-point lead, 53-32, midway in the period. The Tigers would trim it to 17 (61-44) but get no closer.
Towson, meanwhile, went stone cold. Two Robert Nwankwo free throws were the only points registered on the scoreboard for the Tigers in the first 8:02 of the second half. The Tigers were 7 of 25 from the field, 2 of 11 from three-point range and 3 of 9 from the free throw line in the final 20 minutes.
Junior Hairston led the Tigers with 11 points. He was the only Towson player in double figures. Nwankwo finished with a career high seven points. Brian Morris added seven points and five rebounds.
