TOWSON, Md. – With a flick of his wrist and some gentle assistance from the backboard, Mike Morsell helped Towson earn a hard-fought 101-97 overtime triumph over Delaware in an exhilarating Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) men's basketball masterpiece at SECU Arena on Saturday afternoon.
 
Following Morsell's decisive blow, a 3-pointer with 38 seconds remaining in overtime that banked off the glass as time on the shot-clock was dwindling, SECU Arena exploded with excitement as Towson took the lead for good and ultimately extended its winning streak to three games. Morsell didn't call glass, but fortunately for him and the Tigers, the bank was open.
 
Thanks to surviving this classic and epic pulse-pounder that featured more drama than an episode of "Empire," Towson raised its overall record to 16-7 and CAA mark to 7-3. Towson remained in second place of the nation's ninth-rated conference, according to the latest RPI rankings. Delaware (5-18, 0-10) dropped its 13th consecutive contest despite a spirited effort that would have defeated most teams.
 
"I saw there was one or two seconds left on the shot clock," said Morsell, who scored a career-high 24 points. "I knew I had to get a shot off after (Jordan McNeil) passed me the ball, so I just shot it and it happened to go in. This was a great win for us and everybody that played did something to help us today."
 
How It Happened

• Towson never trailed in overtime and was 13-for-17 from the foul line in the extra five minutes.
• Morsell scored nine points, grabbed a pair of clutch rebounds and had a huge steal in overtime.
• John Davis scored 18 of his season-high 21 points after intermission.
• Channeling his inner-Steph Curry, Davis made a career best five 3-pointers. He was 5-for-6 from beyond the arc.
• William Adala Moto notched his fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
• Adala Moto made two foul shots with nine seconds remaining to tie the game at 83-83.
• Delaware had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Kory Holden's shot fell short.
• Adala Moto also finished with a career-high six assists.
• The Tigers rallied from a 72-66 deficit with 5 minutes, 45 seconds remaining in regulation.
• Towson made a season-high 14 3-pointers.
• Timajh Parker-Rivera scored 13 points, grabbed six rebounds and handed out four assists.
• Parker-Rivera brought the house down with a two-handed dunk following a pass from Eddie Keith II.
• Keith II did yeoman's work in playing a career-best 32 minutes. He finished with six points, three assists and a team best three steals.
• Delaware's guard tandem of Holden (33 points) and Anthony Mosley (28) combined for 54.6 percent of the Blue Hens' scoring total.
• Holden, who played all 45 minutes, and Mosley scored all of Delaware's points in overtime.
• Towson jumped to a 23-11 lead following Hawkins' third three-pointer in the opening 10 minutes.
• Delaware was 15-for-19 from the foul line in the first half.
• Byron Hawkins scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half to help Towson lead 38-35 at intermission.
• Marvin King-Davis (11 points, 13 rebounds) notched his 11th double-double of the season.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Towson improved to 2-0 in overtime this season.
• The Tigers topped 100 points for the first time since they scored 102 points against Central Penn on Dec. 10, 2013.
• The 101 points was the first time Towson registered triple digits against a Division I opponent since it scored 104 against Winthrop on Jan. 27, 1994.
• This was the sixth overtime game between Towson and Delaware in series history.
• Towson ended a four-game overtime losing streak to Delaware and improved to 2-4 all-time in such games.
• This is the second consecutive year, Towson and Delaware played an overtime game.
• It's the first time since 2013, Towson has swept the season series from Delaware.
• The 198 combined points are the most Towson and Delaware have ever scored in the 76 games they have played against each other. The series started in 1970.
• For Towson, this was the fourth time this season, it had five players reach double digits in a single game.
• Towson grabbed a season-high 20 offensive rebounds.
• It was the 11th time this season, Towson has finished with at least 15 offensive rebounds.
• Towson improved to 15-0 when leading at halftime.
• The Tigers had a season-high 20 assists on their 28 baskets.
• Davis scored 20 or more points for the second time in three games.
• This was the 17th time this season, Morsell has reached double figures in a game.
• Morsell finished with at least 20 points for the second time this season. His previous career best was 20 points against George Mason on Dec. 2, 2015.
• Playing in a Towson-record 121st game, Parker-Rivera upped his career rebounding total to 613.
• Both teams combined to attempt 87 free throws and commit 59 fouls.
• Five players fouled out.
• Towson improved to 9-2 at home this season.
• The Tigers finished January with a 6-3 overall record.
• This is the second time in three years Towson has a 7-3 CAA record after 10 games. It's tied for the best in program history with the 2013-14 squad.

 
Quotable
Towson head coach Pat Skerry
"Proud of how my team responded down the stretch," Towson head coach Pat Skerry said. "It was a long, wild and crazy game. Sometimes, to get to where you hope to get as a team, you've get to get a couple of bounces and will your way to a couple of victories. I am sure it was a fun game to watch. It was just a wild, wild west show out there. Lots of good players on both teams made a lot of great plays. This is what a college environment should be. I thought it was jumping in here and our students were great."
 
Davis on his five three-pointers.
"Today my shot was just going in so I kept going to it. I missed one and I kept shooting and it was falling. I thought we had a lot of fun out there tonight. It was a good atmosphere and we kept fighting together as a team. It's always fun to win especially when you fight."
 
Up Next
Towson returns to the road where it will visit the College of Charleston on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.