PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Head coach Pat Kennedy called it Towson's biggest win since he took over the program seven years ago as the Tigers refused to buckle and held on to beat La Salle 93-90 in overtime on the Explorers' floor Wednesday night.
"Since I've been here this is the biggest win we've had," Kennedy said. "This is a team that took Oklahoma State to double overtime, beat Providence and played Villanova to a three-point game. But our guys pulled together and showed great character. They looked more like a veteran team than the youngsters they are."
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Tigers who improved to 4-7 while the Explorers dropped to 6-7.
The Tigers played a solid first half of basketball, shooting 59.3% from the floor while gaining a 43-37 lead at the break. The sharp shooting would continue in the second half as Towson finished the game with a season high 54.7% from the floor.
Braxton Dupree's short jumper put Towson on top 10-8 at the 15:19 mark. The Tigers held the lead the rest of the half, pushing it to 12-points, 29-17, with 7:23 left in the opening period.
The big lead didn't last long. Tyreek Duren buried back-to-back three-pointers for La Salle to cut the margin in half, 29-23. The Explorers got as close as three points, 40-37, but Josh Brown's triple that beat the buzzer sent Towson into the lockeroom with a six-point lead.
Towson protected its lead until midway in the second half when Jerrell Williams (game high 32 points and 13 rebounds) gave the Explorers the advantage, 63-62, on a spin move for a layup. The game tightened considerably from there.
An Isaiah Philmore jumper and another trey from Brown gave Towson its largest lead for the rest of the contest, 67-63. La Salle knotted the score at 71-71 on Wiliams' bucket. The lead changed several times before the Explorers were able to build to a five point advantage, 81-76, with 1:35 to play in regulation. The Tigers stayed within striking distance.
The outlook appeared grim after Duren sank two free throws for an 86-83 lead with 17.5 seconds left. But at the other end Brown worked free and hit his second buzzer beating three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left, to tie it and send the contest into overtime.
Brown, starting in place of RaShawn Polk who was sidelined with a toe injury, finished with a career high 23 points that included a 5 for 8 showing from beyond the arc. He canned two in the final 19 seconds of regulation to keep the Tigers' fire lit.
Freshman point guard Dre Conner opened the overtime with a sneaky layup. Aaric Murray tied the game at 88-88 with a dunk. The Tigers, who were 27 of 34 from the foul line, took the lead for good on successive free throws by Brian Morris and Philmore.
Earl Pettis made it interesting with 44 seconds left when he got loose in the paint for a layup to make it a one-point game (91-90).
Dupree ended the scoring on a putback of a missed shot with 13 seconds left. Pettis' three-point attempt with one second remaining missed. Philmore grabbed the rebound as the Tigers' walked off with their first win against an Atlantic 10 opponent since beating then A-10 member West Virginia 81-78 in 1994.
With Polk on the bench the Tigers accomplished the feat using just seven players. Dupree and Philmore each scored a career high 27 points, combining for 18 of 30 shooting from the floor and 16 of 19 from the foul line. Morris added 10 points. Conner chipped in six points, six assists and had four steals.
"The difference tonight was turnovers," said Kennedy. "When you don't turn the ball over you give yourself a chance to score. We grabbed the lead and control of the game in the first half and that carried over."
The Tigers committed 13 turnovers (four in the first half). The Explorers had 18 boots.
Polk, the Tigers' third leading scorer and top three-point shooter, is expected back this Monday night when the Tigers begin their CAA season in earnest, hosting pre-season favorite and defending conference champion Old Dominion in the Towson Center. Opening tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
