ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Towson got a career-best 23 points from freshman Byron Hawkins, but it was not enough to overcome a tough shooting day at the free-throw line in a 61-56 loss at Navy Monday evening.
 
Hawkins had his best game as a collegiate as he went 6-of-12 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line.  He also pulled down five rebounds and did not turn the ball over. 
 
With the Tigers (7-5) trailing by nine with just under 15 minutes remaining in the game, Hawkins went on a personal 10-5 run that cut the deficit to 46-42 with 9:22 showing on the clock.
 
After a Timajh Parker-Rivera putback off an offensive rebound made the score 50-46 with 7:59 remaining, neither team managed to score any points over the next 4:45.  The streak finally ended with a pair of Brandon Venturini free throws with 3:14 left in the contest. 
 
The Midshipmen (4-8) would push the lead to seven points before Alex Gavrilovic hit a pair of free throws and a jumper from the elbow to pull Towson back within five.  The Tigers would get as close as three points after a Four McGlynn step-back three-pointer, but Navy made a pair of free throws for the final margin.
 
Free throws would be the deciding factor in the final margin as the Tigers went just 19-of-34 (.559) from the charity stripe, compared to 23-of-29 (.793) for Navy.
 
Towson pulled down 18 offensive rebounds for the second-straight game, but were outrebounded for just the third time this season, 39-38.
 
The Tigers return to action Dec. 29 as they welcome Fairleigh Dickinson to SECU Arena.  Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.