CORVALLIS, Ore. – Senior Mike Burwell tallied a career-high 20 points to lead a valiant comeback effort by the Towson men's basketball team before the Tigers fell, 76-67, at Pac-12 foe Oregon State on Wednesday night at Gill Coliseum.
Towson (7-5), which trailed by as many as 21 points midway through the second half, fought back to get within two scores before Oregon State (6-2) held on for its fifth straight home win.
Burwell shot 8-for-13 from the field to lead four Tigers in double figures while also swiping a career-high four steals. Senior Jerrelle Benimon posted his sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with five assists.
Towson trailed 20-12 just over five minutes into the game until back-to-back buckets from senior Marcus Damas sparked an 8-0 Tiger run. A layup by freshman Walter Foster capped the run and tied the game at 20-20 with 11:35 remaining in the first half. Oregon State responded by scoring the next 10 points as part of a 21-5 run that gave the Beavers a 41-25 lead. Towson scored the final four points of the period to go into the intermission trailing 41-29. The Beavers increased their lead to 21 at 55-34 with 10:27 left but the Tigers didn't go quietly. They cut the lead to eight at 66-58 with 1:06 left on a Burwell three-pointer and a traditional three-point play by Benimon got the road team to within six just moments later. However, the Beavers made eight of their last nine free throws to secure the victory. Angus Brant scored a career-high 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting to lead Oregon State, which shot 45.5 percent and assisted on 18 of its 25 made baskets. The Beavers became just the second team this season to outrebound the Tigers, owning a 40-36 edge on the glass. Damas, who hit the game-winning jumper in overtime to beat Oregon State last season, finished with 14 points, including three triples. Sophomore Four McGlynn was also in double figures for the Tigers with 12 points. The guard has made two or more three-pointers in six straight games. Towson returns to action on Saturday as the Tigers travel to North Dakota State. The game, set to tip at 8 p.m. EST, can be seen on ESPN3. -TowsonTigers.com-
