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TJ layup vs LaSalle
Doug Kapustin

Men's Basketball

Tigers Open Season Saturday at La Salle

WhenSaturday, November 14
WherePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania (Tom Gola Arena)
Time3 p.m.
RadioTowsonTigers.com
SeriesLa Salle leads 3-1
Last MeetingLa Salle 67, Towson 53 (12/20/14)

Story Lines
Towson opens the 2015-16 on the road as they travel to face La Salle on Nov. 14.

Towson trails 3-1 in the all-time series, including a 67-53 setback at SECU Arena last season.

This marks the second-straight season the Tigers will open the season on the road.

Towson returns four starters from the 2014-15 season.

The Tigers offense will be bolstered with the addition of Arnaud William Adala Moto.  Adala Moto sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.  He played his first two seasons at Wake Forest.

John Davis is the top returner for the Tigers as he average 11.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.  He finished the season with 12 double-doubles despite only starting four games.

The season opener at La Salle will be a homecoming for Davis who played his prep ball at Ss. Neumann-Goretti High School.

Today's Game
Towson opens the 2015-16 season as they travel to face La Salle.  Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.

On the Air
Saturday's game can be heard live on TowsonTigers.com.  Ben Rosenbaum will provide the play-by-play.  

Skerry on the Radio
Head Coach Pat Skerry can be heard on 10.5.7 the Fan every Tuesday at 12:25 during the 2015-16 season.  Skerry will talk with Vinny and Rob and everything Towson basketball.

Season Openers
Since moving to Division I prior the 1979-80 season, Towson is 15-20 in season openers.  Over that same stretch, Towson is just 2-14 when opening the season on the road.

Skerry in Season Openers
Head Coach Pat Skerry is 1-3 in season openers at Towson.  All three of his losses have come on the road.  His lone win came in the first game inside SECU Arena in 2013.

Opening on the Road
The Tigers will open their season on the for the 17th time since the 1979-80 season.  The Tigers are just 2-14 over that stretch with their last victory coming in 1997, a 51-48 victory over American.

vs. La Salle
The Tigers and Explorers are meeting for the fifth time on the hardwood.  La Salle holds a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series, including a 67-53 victory in SECU Arena a season ago.  Towson is 1-1 on the road in the series.  The Tigers came away with a 93-90 overtime victory in their last visit to Tom Gola Arena.

vs. the Atlantic 10
Towson is 15-75 all-time against current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference.  The majority of those contests came against George Mason and VCU when they were members of the CAA.

Early Action vs. the Atlantic 10
Although Saturday is the season opener, it is not the first time the Tigers have seen a team from the A-10 this season.  Towson held scrimmages against fellow A-10 members Richmond and Duquesne.

2015 Gildan Charleston Classic
Towson will participate in the 2015 Gildan Charleston Classic Nov. 19-20, 22.  The Tigers will open the tournament against Oklahoma State, then face either Ole Miss or George Mason in the second round.

Battle for Greater Baltimore
Towson will look to control the area as they play four games in a Battle for Greater Baltimore.  The Tigers will host Morgan State on Nov. 16, before traveling to face Coppin State (Nov. 28) and Loyola (Dec. 8).  Towson closes out the four game by hosting UMBC on Dec. 23.

Adala Moto Enters Lineup
Junior Arnaud William Adala Moto will make his debut for the Tigers after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.  He transferred to Towson after spending his first two years at Wake Forest.

Hawkins Runs the Point
Sophomore Byron Hawkins has taken over as the team's starting point guard.  He started 21 of the final 23 games last season.

Morsell Becoming Scoring Threat
Sophomore Mike Morsell is emerging as one of the top scoring threats for the Tigers.  As a freshman, he averaged 6.4 points and 2.3 rebounds.  After entering the starting lineup over the final 12 games of last season, Morsell averaged 10.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Controlling the Glass
Towson's formula for success under head coach Pat Skerry has been controlling the glass.  In each of the past three seasons, the Tigers have led the CAA in rebounding.  

Field Goal Percentage Defense
Just like rebounding, Towson has led the CAA in field-goal percentage defense.  Last season, they held their opponents to 41.3%.

Crashing the Offensive Glass
Towson makes their mark by crashing the offensive glass.  They led the CAA last season by averaging 14.6 offensive rebounds per game.  They pulled down at least 20 offensive rebounds in six games last season.

Parker-Rivera Leaving Mark at TU
Senior Timajh Parker-Rivera is leaving his mark at Towson.  Parker-Rivera has been a part of 55 wins in his first three seasons as a Tiger.  With 20 wins in his senior season, TJ can  become the winningest player in Towson history.

What Returns in 2015-16
The 2015-16 Towson Tigers will look a lot like the team from a season ago.  The Tigers return eight players, including four starters, from last year's team.  They also add a pair of players who red-shirted a season ago.  The returning players accounted for 72.5 percent of the scoring and 83.4 percent of the rebounding last season.

Skerry Enters 5th Season
Head Coach Pat Skerry enters his fifth season as the head coach at Towson.  He has completely changed the culture of Towson basketball.  He orchestrated the largest turnaround in NCAA Division I history in his second year, and followed it up with the winningest season as a Division I program in his third year.  

Six CAA Games on TV
This season, Towson will have six of its CAA games televised on Comcast SportsNet.  Five of those games will be at SECU Arena.  Home televised games include Drexel (Jan. 16), College of Charleston (Jan. 21), Delaware (Jan. 30), William & Mary (Feb. 13) and James Madison (Feb. 25).  Towson will also appear on  CSN at Elon on Feb. 6.

Tigers Add 3 Signees
Towson added three players to their recruiting class with the signing of a trio of three-star athletes.  Guards Justin Gorham and Zane Martin, and forward JJ Matthews have signed to join the Tigers beginning with the 2016-17 season.

Davis, Adala Moto Earn CAA Honors
Junior's John Davis and Arnaud William Adala Moto earned preseason recognition from the CAA.  Davis was named a preseason second-team all-CAA selection, while Adala Moto was named honorable mention.

Rule Changes
Fans will notice some rule changes for the 2015-16 men's basketball season.  One of the most noticeable changes is the shot clock being shortened to 30 seconds.  Other rules include allowing teams only four timeouts, coaches can no longer call timeouts during live ball situations, no more five-second call while dribbling, only 10 seconds total to get the ball over half court and the restricted arc extended to four feet.

Up Next
The Tigers open their home schedule when they welcome Morgan State to SECU Arena for the home opener Nov. 16.  Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

 
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Players Mentioned

Arnaud William Adala Moto

#24 Arnaud William Adala Moto

F
6' 6"
Redshirt Junior
John Davis

#10 John Davis

F
6' 5"
Junior
Byron Hawkins

#1 Byron Hawkins

G
6' 1"
Sophomore
Mike Morsell

#23 Mike Morsell

G
6' 5"
Sophomore
Timajh Parker-Rivera

#15 Timajh Parker-Rivera

F
6' 7"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Arnaud William Adala Moto

#24 Arnaud William Adala Moto

6' 6"
Redshirt Junior
F
John Davis

#10 John Davis

6' 5"
Junior
F
Byron Hawkins

#1 Byron Hawkins

6' 1"
Sophomore
G
Mike Morsell

#23 Mike Morsell

6' 5"
Sophomore
G
Timajh Parker-Rivera

#15 Timajh Parker-Rivera

6' 7"
Senior
F