TOWSON, Md. – Hosting Virginia Commonwealth (17-5, 8-2), the team that captured the imagination of everyone by reaching the Final Four last year, Towson University (0-22, 0-10) managed to outrebound the Rams and senior Robert Nwankwo was impressive once again, but the Tigers fell 67-42 Wednesday evening.

The Rams, who dispatched Southern California, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas in the NCAA Tournament last March, remain tied for second place in the Colonial Athletic Association after picking up their sixth straight victory.

Nwankwo continued his stellar play for the Tigers as the senior recorded his eighth double-double of the season and his fourth in the last five games. Nwankwo scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

"I really wish we had Rob for a few more years," said Towson head coach Pat Skerry. "I'm really proud of how hard Rob has worked and how much he's come along after taking last year off from basketball."

Led by Nwankwo, the Tigers outrebounded VCU by a 40-35 margin, marking the fourth consecutive game where the Tigers outrebounded their opponents.

Towson also swiped a season-high 14 steals against VCU. Freshman Kris Walden led the Tigers with a season-high four thefts. Classmate Deon Jones just missed his second double-double of the year, tallying nine points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Jones added three steals to his stat line.

"Towson is a team that is getting better and better," said VCU head coach Shaka Smart. Coach Skerry is doing a great job and you can really see the improvemnt this team has made throughout the season when you watch the tape."

For the first seven minutes of the games, the Tigers and the Rams traded baskets and the score was tied at 10-10. Nwankwo kept the Tigers in the game by scoring eight of their first 10 points. However, VCU went on a 7-0 run that gave the Rams a 17-10 advantage.

Struggling against the Rams' relentless pressure, the Tigers turned the ball over 14 times in the first half. When VCU closed out the opening period with a 9-2 run, the Rams owned a 35-17 lead at the intermission.

In the second half, the Rams gradually pulled away and led by as many as 26 points on several occasions. After Nwankwo made two free throws with 9:47 remaining, the Tigers' deficit was 51-32. But, VCU scored the next seven points and the lead was never less than 20 points the rest of the game.

The Rams, who held the Tigers to 29.8 percent shooting from the floor, also forced 24 turnovers. Sophomore guard Rob Brandenberg led VCU with four steals as the Rams converted those 24 turnovers into 23 points.

Brandenberg led the Rams with 16 points as he shot 6-for-11 from the floor and made a trio of three-point baskets. Freshman guard Treveon Graham added 13 points and a team high eight rebounds off the bench. Junior guard Darius Theus contributed to the VCU cause with six points and a career-high 10 assists with no turnovers.

Towson remains at home for a showdown with UNCW on Saturday. The game, scheduled to tip at 2 p.m., can be seen live on ESPN3.


-TowsonTigers.com-