WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The defense that carried the Towson University men's basketball team to nine non-conference victories reappeared after intermission.
 
It made William & Mary's 12-point first-half advantage disappear and helped Towson rally for a memorable 76-69 victory over William & Mary in its Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opener Thursday afternoon at Kaplan Arena.
 
The Tigers turned in a dynamite defensive display during the second half to enjoy a happy New Year Eve bus trip home. Towson showcased the tenacity, intensity and athleticism that has it ranked among the national leaders in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense.
 
How It Happened

• After allowing W&M to make 51.7 percent of its shots in the first half, Towson tightened the defensive screws and held the Tribe to 37 percent shooting in the second half.
• Towson used a game-altering 13-0 burst during a 6 minute, 11 second stretch of the second half to gain control.
• That run transformed a 54-51 Towson deficit into a 64-54 bulge with 5:38 remaining.
• Senior Timajh Parker-Rivera, who scored all eight of his points during the second half, started the run by making a pair of foul shots and ended it with a sweet layup.
• The offensive highlight of the dominant stretch was Parker-Rivera stealing the ball in the frontcourt, dribbling the length of the floor and took off from just inside of the foul line for a powerful dunk that had the arena in awe. That gave Towson a 60-54 lead with 9:18 remaining.
• Overall, Towson rocked the arena with four devastating dunks in the second half.
• During the 6:11 stretch of the second half in which the Tribe didn't score, Towson forced five missed shots and four turnovers on nine consecutive W&M possessions.
• Towson turned 16 W&M turnovers into 21 points.
• After Walter Foster gave Towson a 68-56 lead with 4:01 remaining, the Tigers survived a late Tribe flurry that shaved their lead to 68-65 with 69 seconds remaining.
• Despite making three of its last 16 shots of the first half, Towson trailed 39-34 at intermission following Byron Hawkins' second three-pointer of the half.
• Towson scored the final seven points of the first half after falling behind, 39-27, with 63 seconds remaining.
• William Adala Moto and Mike Morsell combined for 20 of the Tigers' first half points.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Towson (10-4 overall, 1-0 CAA) led for the final 10:18.

• The Tigers placed three players in double figures highlighted by 18 points each from Adala Moto and Morsell.
• Hawkins scored 13 points to reach double digits for the fifth consecutive game and 12th time this season.
• Adala-Moto, who was 10-of-12 from the foul line, hit for double figures for the ninth straight contest.
• Morsell is averaging 16 points per game over Towson's last three games.
• Morsell grabbed a season-best eight rebounds to lead Towson.
• The Tigers scored 40 points in the second half, the third straight game it has accomplished that.
• Towson improved to 3-2 overall in CAA openers under fifth-year head coach Pat Skerry.
• The Tigers ended a three-game losing streak to William & Mary.
• Towson handed William & Mary (8-4, 0-1) its first home setback of the season.
• This was Towson's first win when trailing at halftime since it beat Hofstra, 86-72, on Jan. 31, 2015.
• This was the largest deficit overcome to win a game this season for Towson.
• At 10-4, this is the best mark after 14 games for Towson, since it became a Division I program in the 1979-80 season.
• William & Mary, which defeated N.C. State this season, placed four players in double figures highlighted by David Cohn's 16 points.
• There were 12 lead changes and four ties.
• The Tribe entered the game averaging 20.2 points from its reserves. Towson limited the Tribe to 11 bench points.
• Towson has held its last seven opponents under 70 points.
• With two blocked shots, Parker-Rivera has six multi-rejection games this season.

 
They Said It
Hawkins
What was the difference between the first and second half?
"We guarded (William & Mary's) action better in the second half. I know for me, I wasn't as engaged on defense as I needed to be during the first half. In the second half, I helped in the lane more and stopped a lot of their rolls. By doing that, it helped our team get some energy. Then I got the and-one and TJ got some dunks. That helped us turn up and change the shift of the game."
 
What did the team learn about themselves following this victory?
"We always had this personality. We're more experienced and that helped us today. We learned that when we stay together as a team that anything is possible. We saw that today. Even though we were down 12 points, we just kept fighting and working together. This is a nice way to start conference play."
 
Up Next
Towson returns home to host CAA preseason favorite Hofstra Saturday night at 7 p.m.