CHARLESTON, S.C. – It was a tough afternoon shooting for the Towson Tigers, who fell in their first game of the 2016 Gildan Charleston Classic. Despite Towson out-rebounding Oklahoma State 43-37, the Cowboys topped the Tigers 69-52 at TD Arena on the campus of the College of Charleston.
 
How it Happened

• Both teams struggled from the field early in the game, with Oklahoma State (3-0) leading 4-0 at the first media timeout of the game. The teams were a combined 2-of-15 at the break.
• Towson (1-2) got on the board with 14:25 left as sophomore Mike Morsell snapped a 6-0 run for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys took an 11-4 lead with 11:44 left in the first half, setting the Tigers up for a run.
• The Tigers went on a 8-0 run over the next three and a half minutes to take a 12-11lead with 9:10 on the clock. Arnaud William Adala Moto drew an and-one followed by a three-pointer from Josh Ivory. Adala Moto dropped in a mid-range jumper to put the Tigers up by one.
• Oklahoma State, which draws George Mason in the second round on Friday, countered with an 11-2 run in a four-minute span for a 22-14 advantage.
• The Cowboys finished the first half with a 35.5 shooting percentage and a 32-21 lead. Towson hit just 8-of 41 attempts from the field (19.5%)
• Towson struggled again in the second half from the floor, missing its first four field goal attempts and one shot from the line. Oklahoma State took advantage and built a 40-22 lead, its second-largest lead of the game.

 
Behind the Numbers

• Oklahoma State was sharp from the floor, hitting 25-of-53 attempts on the afternoon (47.2 percent), including 62.6 percent (14-22) in the second half. Towson made 16 of its 64 tries from the field (25.0 percent)
• True to form, Towson out-rebounded its opponent for a third time this season, finishing with a +6 margin on the boards (43-47). The Tigers snared 17 offensive rebounds, but could not convert, finishing with six second chance points.
• The Tigers had 14 points off the bench, while the Cowboys had 47 as Chris Olivier and Jeffrey Carroll had 18 and 17 points, respectively.
• Adala Moto had 14 points to lead Towson, the second time this season he has paced the Tigers' scoring efforts.

 
Up Next for the Tigers

• Towson draws Mississippi in the next round of the Gildan Charleston Classic.
• The first-ever hardwood meeting between the Tigers and Ole Miss will tipoff at 3:30 p.m. in TD Arena.
• Ole Miss was edged 68-62 against Towson's December 2 opponent, George Mason.

 
Towson Head Coach Pat Skerry
Opening Statement
That wasn't the best offensive performance we've ever had. Give Oklahoma State credit though, I think their depth was the difference in the game. They're a good offensive club and tough to hold down. I thought we had good shots but we didn't shoot well from three or around the rim. Obviously against a team of that caliber you can't do that.
 
On Responding to Oklahoma State's Opening Run
I thought that kid (Jeffrey) Carroll really helped them down the stretch. We finally got back in the game, I thought they made a bunch of shots late on the (shot) clock. Their depth is pretty good. To beat a Big XII team you've got to make some shots, we didn't. I thought for about 32 minutes we guarded decently, and we really rebound the ball well but they've got a lot of different guys that can play. They're a really good offensive club. I think the kid (Anthony) Allen changes a lot of shots around the rim. We thought we could try and be physical with them. They probably thought they were in a 40-minute, physical war. We just weren't sharp enough to offset some things they do and they have a really good punch with (Chris) Olivier and Carroll off the bench. A lot of teams don't have that kind of bench scoring.
 
- TowsonTigers.com -