NEWARK, Del. - Calvin Lee's first career "double double" couldn't have come at a better time as it gave the Tigers their first Colonial Athletic Association victory of the season, a 71-68 win over Delaware at the Bob Carpenter Center Saturday afternoon.
The victory ended a seven-game losing streak for the Tigers and also rid them of a 10-game road losing streak. Towson improved to 4-12 overall and 1-6 in the CAA. It was the Tigers' fourth straight win over the Blue Hens, who dropped to 5-13 overall and 1-6 in the league..
"These guys have played a lot of very good basketball minutes this season but haven't always come away with a win," said Tiger head coach Pat Kennedy. "We didn't panic today when they made their runs in the second half. We did a great job defensively. We've solved our poblems on the backboards. This a terrific win for us."
The Tigers shot 50 per cent from the floor and outrebounded the Blue Hens 38-35. Lee, Robert Nwankwo and Isaiah Philmore combined for a season high 40 points in the paint, making 17 of 26 shots underneath. Lee's 21 points and 10 rebounds showed the way. Nwankwo recorded his sixth double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 boards. Philmore contributed career highs with 12 points and eight rebounds. Josh Thornton was the fourth Tiger in double figures with 10 points.
After the Blue Hens took a quick 2-0 lead just nine seconds into the first half, the Tigers responded with an 11-0 run for a lead they would carry for the remainder of the period.
The Tigers, who had a 38-33 advantage at the intermission, led by as many as 11 points when Brian Morris (9 points, 3 assists) scored on a lay-up with 15:05 remaining, giving Towson a 15-4 cushion.
Lee spearheaded the Tigers' charge in the opening 20 minutes, scoring 13 points with 8 rebounds. He was instrumental in the Tigers' early run, scoring seven of the Tigers' 11 points.
The Tigers extended their advantage to 43-37 early in the second half before the Blue Hens responded by going on a 13-4 run of their own, taking a 50-47 advantage with 13:53 remaining in the period.
Delaware built a seven-point lead with 9:58 remaining before the Tigers mounted a comeback, using a 17-9 spurt to regain the advantage at 68-67 with 2:42 left on a baseline jumper by Lee.
After the teams exchanged a free throw, the Tigers clinched the victory when Morris and Nwankwo each sank a free throw. Delaware had one last chance to tie the game but Jawan Carter's three-point attempt was wide at the buzzer.
Alphonso Dawson led the Blue Hens in the loss, scoring 16 points to become the 26th player in Delaware history to score 1,000 career pointsf.
The Tigers will continue their quick two-game road trip on Monday night when they travel to St. Joseph's for a 7 p.m. match-up against the Atlantic-10 Hawks. The game will be broadcast in the Baltimore area on WTMD-FM 89.7.
