TOWSON, Md. – Senior
Raven Bankston and sophomore
Sianni Martin combined for 51 points to lead the Towson University women's basketball team to a 90-56 win over UMass Lowell on Friday night in the season opener for both squads.
The 90 points scored were the most by a Tiger squad since the 2003-04 team scored 92 points in a win over UMES.
THE BASICS
Towson 90, UMass Lowell 56
SECU Arena, Towson, Md.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Towson opened the game on an 11-2 run as Bankston had nine of the Tigers' first 11 points. The Tigers (1-0) pushed their lead to 16-6 with 5:57 to go in the first quarter on a three-pointer from Martin. UMass Lowell cut the Tiger advantage to five, 18-13 with 2:34 showing on the clock. Towson responded by scoring six of the final nine points and took a 24-16 lead after 10 minutes.
- The Tigers turned in a strong defensive performance in the second quarter as they outscored the River Hawks, 17-6. Towson forced nine turnovers by UMass Lowell during that 10 minute stretch.
- At the half, Towson held a 41-22 lead. The Tigers shot 47.1% from the field while holding the River Hawks to a 38.5%.
- Towson's first five baskets in the third quarter came from behind the arc. Bankston hit four three-pointers during that stretch while Martin had a triple. Towson led 56-33 with 4:18 to play in the stanza. A traditional three-point play from senior forward Brianna Bush gave Towson a 65-41 lead with 1:25 left on the clock. A pair of free throws from junior forward Mary Cuevas gave the Tigers a 67-41 lead after three quarters of play.
- Towson scored 13 of the first 22 points in the fourth quarter and pushed its lead to 80-50 with 5:23 to go in the game. Martin had eight points during that stretch for the home team. A three-pointer from freshman Mariah Gray with 50 seconds to go in the game gave Towson a 90-53 lead, it was the Tigers' largest lead of the game. Shawnkia McCallum converted a three-point play for the River Hawks with 15 seconds showing on the clock which made the final score 90-56.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Towson won its first season opener since the 2012-13 season, when the Tigers beat Manhattan in overtime.
- The 90 points scored by the Tigers against the River Hawks was just six points shy of the school record for points in a single-game (96 vs. St. Mary's during the 1979-80 season).
- Twelve Tigers scored at least one point in the game as the Tigers used a balanced attack. Towson got 25 points from its bench in the contest.
- The Tigers forced 31 turnovers by UMass Lowell and scored 34 points off those turnovers.
- It was Bankston's second 30+ point performance as a Tiger, as she finished with 31 points. She also contributed three assists and a team-high four steals.
- Martin posted 20 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals in the game.
- The Tigers shot 50.8% from the field, it was the highest field goal percentage for the Tigers since the Tigers shot 50.9% against UNCW in the 2013-14 season.
The Tigers will be back in action when they travel to Wagner on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.
