CATONSVILLE, Md. ? The Tigers rid themselves of a nasty 14-game road losing streak Wednesday night when they launched a record-setting three-point effort that ended UMBC's nine-game winning streak in the RAC as Towson beat the Retrievers 82-65 in the 50th basketball meeting between the two schools.
The win improved the Tigers to 4-3 on the season while the loss dropped the Retrievers to 4-3, ending a nine-game home winning streak. The victory on the road was the first for the Tigers since they opened the 2007-08 campaign with a win at Samford in Birmingham, Ala.
“We had to prove to ourselves we could win on the road,” said Tiger head coach Pat Kennedy. “We got a little beat up last weekend in Philly but our guys came back nicely tonight.”
The Tigers shot lights out from three-point range in the first half, making 10 of 15 tries from beyond the arc in taking a 44-37 lead at the break. Seven of Towson's first eight made field goals in the contest were three-pointers as the Tigers worked to an 11-point lead, 32-21, at the 6:47 mark. Towson finished the period 10 of 15 from downtown.
A Junior Hairston three-pointer with 2:51 left in the period gave Towson its last double digit lead before the break, 40-29.
But to the surprise of the Retrievers the Tigers had plenty left in the tank and inflicted some serious damage in the second half. Towson's pressure 1-3-1 zone defense, combined with continued sharp shooting, buried the Retrievers under a 20-point deficit, 65-45, with 10:48 to play.
The Tigers led by as many as 23 (78-55). The Retrievers would trim it to 15 in the final two minutes but the deal had been sealed as the Tigers walked out with their first win in the RAC in 12 years.
Even though Towson wasn't as productive from three-point range in the second half the Tigers still managed to hit four more, giving them a school record 14 makes, breaking the old mark of 13 set in 2007 in the Towson Center against Delaware.
If the threes weren't falling in the second half, everything else was making its way through the hoop. The Tigers shot a season high 54.4% from the floor.
Josh Thornton showed the way with 21 points off the bench, going 5 of 10 from way out. Hairston finished with a season high 19 points and freshman Troy Franklin came up big with 15 points and a career high nine assists. Thornton, Hairston and Franklin combined to go 12 of 20 from the behind the arc. Brian Morris finished with a game high seven rebounds and chipped in seven points and seven rebounds.
Towson begins its Colonial Athletic Association schedule this Saturday when the Tigers play host to the Hofstra Pride in the Towson Center at 7:00 p.m. This will be the 49th meeting between the Tigers and Pride. Hofstra leads the series 29-19 thanks largely to an 11-game win streak against the Tigers to close out the 1990's. Towson took two out of three games last season, beating the Pride in the Towson Center 60-51 and in the first round of the CAA Tournament, 81-66. Hofstra beat the Tigers 81-67 in Hempstead.
