ELON, N.C. – Towson freshman Mike Morsell pulled up from 15-feet and knocked down the game-winning shot with 1.7 remaining to the give the Tigers a come-from-behind, 53-51, victory over Elon Thursday evening at Alumni Gym.
 
After Walter Foster pulled down a defensive rebound with 31 seconds remaining, Towson (9-11, 2-5 CAA) elected to not call a timeout and put the ball in the hands of freshman guard Byron Hawkins.  Hawkins dribbled out near midcourt until the clock got under 10 seconds.  He drove to the left wing and kicked it out to Morsell.  Morsell did a shot fake, took one dribble and pulled up for the game winner. 
 
Towson was locked in the close game due in part to shooting just 10-of-25 (.400) from the charity stripe.  But, with the Tigers trailing by two with under a minute to play, Foster stepped to the line and knocked down both free throws to tie the game.
 
Elon (10-10, 2-5 CAA) wasted no time in erasing a five-point halftime deficit as a three-point play and a Tanner Samson three gave the Phoenix the lead 1:11 into the half.
 
The two teams would exchange baskets over the next 11 minutes before Christian Hairston knocked down a jumper to extend the Phoenix lead to 46-39. 
 
Morsell started the Tiger comeback by hitting jumpers on back-to-back possessions.  John Davis then took over by scoring five-straight points to give the Tigers the lead back, 49-48, with 3:04 to play.
 
Elon freshman Elijah Bryant calmly came down and stepped into a three-pointer to give the Phoenix a two-point lead with just over a minute to play, setting up Foster's two game-tying free throws.
 
The Tigers remained in the game by dominating the glass, especially on the offensive end.  Towson outrebounded Elon, 50-35, including 23-8 on the offensive end.  The Tigers converted those offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points. 
 
Towson's dominance on the boards was evident down the stretch as the Tigers outrebounded Elon, 19-3, in the final 6:25 of the game.
 
Davis and Timajh Parker-Rivera led the dominance as they both recorded double-doubles.  Davis finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Parker-Rivera added 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
 
The Tigers got off to a slow start in the first half as they scored just two points in the first 9:21 of the game.  Davis then scored on three-straight possessions, and Walter Foster knocked down a jumper to cap the Tigers 8-2 run and tie the game 10-10.
 
Towson held Elon without a field goal for the final 8:26 of the first half.  The Phoenix managed to knock down five free throws the rest of the half, including a pair with 1:01 remaining to send the teams into the half with Towson leading 22-17.
 
Morsell finished the game with eight points, all coming in the second half. 
The Tigers have a quick turnaround as they face UNC Wilmington Saturday at 8 p.m.  The game can be seen live on the American Sports Network.