TOWSON, Md. – The Towson men's basketball team used a strong start to the game, and a key 8-0 second-half run, to defeat Elon, 57-53, Monday evening in the Colonial Athletic Association home opener at SECU Arena.
 
The Tigers (8-7, 1-1 CAA) came out strong in the first half and opened a 17-4 advantage after Alex Gavrilovic knocked down a three-pointer with 11:05 left in the half.  The lead would grow to 18 points after Timajh Parker-Rivera threw down a thunderous dunk in transition three minutes later.
 
Parker-Rivera was called for a technical foul on the dunk, and the Phoenix (9-6, 1-1 CAA) proceeded to go on a 14-0 run to cut the lead to just four points.  John Davis pushed the lead back to six points at halftime with a strong finish down low.
 
Byron Hawkins opened the second half with a three-point play, but Elon responded with a 16-5 run to take their first lead of the game at 38-36 with 12:38 left to play.
 
Freshman Mike Morsell tied the game 37 seconds later with a baseline jumper, then gave Towson the lead for good with a strong drive and three-point play. 
 
After the Tigers pushed the lead back to six, Elon got a layup from Ryan Winters with 6:05 remaining to cut the lead back to two. 
 
With Towson holding a three-point lead with just over a minute to play, Walter Foster buried a 15-foot jump shot that helped seal the victory.  The jumper was just part of the career day for Foster who had his first career-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.  He added two assists and a block.
 
A.J. Astroth helped the Tigers to the hot start as he scored nine of his 10 points in the first nine minutes of the game.  Four McGlynn struggled from the field, but handed out a career-best six assists to go along with four points, four rebounds and one block.
 
Towson returns to the court Thursday evening as they welcome Drexel to SECU Arena.  Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.  Thursday's game is the first game of the Tiger Community Challenge.  Fans from the cities of Timonimum and White Marsh will receive tickets for $6.  Check www.TowsonTigers.com for more information about the Community Challenge.
 
 
The 2015 CAA Men's Basketball Championship will be held March 6-9 at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Md. Call 1-855-TU-TIGER for your tickets.