TOWSON, Md. – While all Mariah Carey wants for the holiday season is somebody special, the Towson University men's basketball team has a different wish. All head coach Pat Skerry and the Tigers want for Christmas is a victory in their final non-conference contest of the season against local rival UMBC.
 
Perfect at home this season, the Tigers (8-4 overall) will be looking for their third consecutive victory over UMBC (3-9). Fueling Towson's strong start to the season has been its sticky defense in which it has limited its last five opponents below 40 percent shooting and a balanced offensive attack that has four players averaging double-figures.
 

When	Wednesday, December 23
Where	Towson, Maryland (SECU Arena)
Time	2 p.m.
VIDEO	CAA.tv
Radio	TowsonTigers.com
Series	Towson leads 36-20
Last Meeting	Towson 77, UMBC 66 (November 29, 2014)

On the Air
Sunday's game can be heard live on CBS Sports Radio 1300.  Spiro Morekas will provide the play-by-play. 
 
Skerry on the Radio
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.
 
vs. UMBC
This will be the 57th career meeting between UMBC and Towson. This will be the eighth straight season Towson and UMBC will be meeting. Towson leads the all-time series, 36-20. The Tigers have won two straight contests over UMBC, including last year's 77-66 victory. In that match-up, the difference was Towson holding UMBC without a field goal for 8:19 in the second half and using a 24-7 run over that span. The inside duo of Alex Gavrilovic and Timajh Parker-Rivera controlled the inside as they combined for 30 points and 16 rebounds.  Each player had 15 points, while Gavrilovic had seven rebounds and Parker-Rivera nine.  As a team, the Tigers outrebounded the Retrievers 31-20.
 
Staying in the Neighborhood
Towson has been able to enjoy the comforts of home as it has played seven of its last eight games in the region. The Tigers defeated Gallaudet, George Mason, Sacred Heart and Rio Grande at SECU Arena and captured road games at Coppin State in overtime and Loyola. The only out of town trip during that span was a 69-68 loss at FDU.
 
Battle for Greater Baltimore
Towson moved to 3-0 in the Battle for Greater Baltimore after a 69-61 victory over Morgan State, an 81-77 overtime victory over Coppin State and 65-54 over Loyola.  Over the last three seasons, Towson is 11-1 against schools in the state of Maryland.
 
Towson Update
The Tigers have established a reputation as one of the best defensive teams in the Colonial Athletic Association. They lead the CAA in scoring defense (62.6 ppg.) and rebounding (41.9). Towson is second in the conference in field-goal percentage defense (38.7), three-point field goal percentage defense (30.0), blocked shots (5.1) and rebounding margin (+7.8). Leading the Tigers offensively are Byron Hawkins (14.9 ppg.), William Adala Moto (13.5), Mike Morsell (10.9) and John Davis (10.1). Walter Foster and Adala Moto each had double-doubles in the Tigers last game against Rio Grande, an 88-47 victory.
 
Front Runners
Towson never trailed in victories over Sacred Heart, Bradley and Rio Grande...In its last four home games, Towson hasn't trailed in the second half.
 
Nationally-Speaking
Towson is ranked among the top 50 nationally in several categories. The Tigers are fourth in total rebounds (503), seventh in free-throw attempts (313), 10th in offensive rebounding (15.5), 23rd in made free throws (210), 28th in scoring defense (62.6), 30th in total blocks (61), 33rd in rebounding margin (7.8), 36th in rebounds per game (41.92), 41st in field goal percentage defense (38.7) and 44th in 3-point field goal percentage (30.0).
 
Parker-Rivera Milestone
Parker-Rivera moved past Stevie Thomas and into 10th place on the Towson all-time rebounding list. Parker-Rivera has 550 career rebounds. He is currently seventh in school history with 107 blocked shots.
 
Scouting UMBC
Members of the America East Conference, UMBC dropped a 103-93 decision to Howard on Saturday night despite 27 points and 10 rebounds from VCU transfer Jarius Lyles, who was 10-20 from the field in 33 minutes of action. Junior wing Will Darley finished with 21 points, adding nine rebounds. Rookie Joe Sherburne, Rodney Elliott and Jourdan Grant all finished in double figures with 16, 13 and 12 respectively. UMBC has split its four games beating Longwood and Mount St. Mary's while falling to Duquesne and Howard. Overall, UMBC has four players averaging double figures: Joe Sherburne (14.8), Rodney Elliott (13.4) and Will Darley (12.0). Cody Joyce (9.5 ppg.) and Jourdan Grant (7.4) have made contributions this season. Sherburne leads UMBC with 35 3-pointers. Two of UMBC's three victories have occurred on the road (Northern Colorado and Longwood). The Retrievers are averaging 68.2 points per game and 12.6 assists per outing.
 
Up Next
The Tigers open CAA play by visiting William & Mary on Thursday, Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. W&M was picked fourth in the CAA preseason poll, The Tribe opened its season with a road win at N.C. State.