TOWSON, Md. – Led by sophomore Marcus Damas, who scored a career-high 26 points, Towson flirted with a remarkable upset before Colonial Athletic Association-leading Drexel escaped the Towson Center with a 65-57 victory on Saturday night.

The Dragons, who coasted to a 60-27 victory over Towson on January 4, were afforded no such luxury in the rematch. Although the Dragons never trailed by more than a point, they weren't assured of a victory until sophomore guard Frantz Massenat connected on six consecutive free throw attempts in the final 37 seconds.

“Drexel is a terrific team and I have a lot of respect for Bruiser and his club,” said Towson head coach Pat Skerry. “Our guys are starting to figure out the winning formula and it showed tonight. We have to guard, rebound and not turn it over. I would expect this (tonight's effort) to become the norm here quickly, with us finding a way to win these.”

Damas hit a season-high six three-pointers on 11 attempts and his 26 points were the most scored by a Tiger this season. Damas, who netted 25 points against George Mason on December 3, is the only Towson player to score over 20 points this year.

Towson (1-24, 1-12) shot 40 percent from beyond the arc against a Drexel defense that entered the game as the nation's top three-point field goal percentage defense (25.3 percent). The Dragons had also won 17 straight rebounding battles until the Tigers controlled the glass, 34-30, tonight.

Despite Towson's efficiency from beyond the arc and on the glass, Drexel (19-5, 11-2 CAA) won its 11th consecutive game and remains tied atop the CAA standings with George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth. Massenat, who tied a Towson Center record by shooting 15-for-15 from the free throw line, led the Dragons with a career-high 25 points and six assists.

“Towson played incredibly hard tonight against us,” said Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint. “They dove on the floor and played like they got beat pretty good the last time we played. I told my team, they outplayed us tonight. They came out with way more intensity and played harder and that's why they were in the game. They came with a different type of determination tonight, they really did.”

The Tigers, who trailed by 29-25 at halftime, used a 6-0 run to pull within 38-37 midway through the second half. Damas hit a three-point basket, was fouled and converted the free throw to pull the Tigers to within a point. Moments later, Massenat hit a short jumper in the lane, was fouled and made the free throw to give the Dragons a 41-37 advantage.
After senior Robert Nwankwo made one of two free throws with 6:14 remaining, the Tigers trailed 45-42.

However, Drexel senior forward Samme Givens sparked an 8-0 Dragon run by scoring five consecutive points. When Massenat drilled a three-pointer to cap the run with 3:12 remaining, Drexel owned a 53-42 advantage.

The Dragons built their lead to 57-44 with 1:38 remaining before the Tigers staged another rally. Led by Damas, who drained a trio of three-pointers in the final 87 seconds, the Tigers cut their deficit to 63-57 with 19 seconds remaining. At that point, Massenat made two more free throws to give the Dragons their final 65-57 margin of victory.

Drexel, which made 22 of 28 free throws in the win, connected on 10 of 12 free throw attempts in the final 1:27 of the game.

Nwankwo recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. The senior forward has now posted a double-double in six of his last eight games and has 19 in his career. Nwankwo, who entered the game ranked 18th nationally with 2.6 blocked shots per game, swatted a game-high five shots in the loss.

Freshman guard Kris Walden added eight points and dished out a career-high 10 assists while turning the ball over just three times for the Tigers. Walden leads all CAA freshman and is fifth in the conference averaging 3.6 assists per game.

The Tigers return to action Wednesday, Feb. 8 at Virginia Commonwealth.


-TowsonTigers.com-