TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women's basketball team battled back to erase a 16-point third quarter deficit and earned a 69-65 win over Coppin State on Saturday evening in SECU Arena. The Tigers (6-1) were led by sophomore guard Sianni Martin, who scored 15 of her team-high 23 points in the second half.

THE BASICS
Towson 69, Coppin State 65
SECU Arena, Towson, Md.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Tigers opened the first quarter on a 9-0 run as Martin led the way with five points in the first two plus minutes.
• A lay-up from junior forward Mary Cuevas pushed the Towson lead back to nine, 14-5 with four minutes showing on the clock.
• Coppin State scored 10 of the final 12 points in the quarter as the Tigers held a 16-15 edge after 10 minutes of play. Tiara Goode drained a three-pointer for the Eagles (0-7) during that stretch.
• Coppin State turned in a strong second quarter. The Eagles opened the stanza on a 7-0 run and outscored the Tigers 21-9 to take a 36-25 lead at the half.
• Four of Coppin State's five field goal in the quarter came from three-point range. The Tigers were hampered by eight turnovers in the stanza.
• At the half, Towson held a 20-19 edge in the rebounding battle. The Eagles were aided by going 13-for-19 from the foul line. The Tigers were just 4-for-6 from the charity stripe.
• Coppin State scored 11 of the first 17 points in the third quarter and took a 47-31 lead with 5:23 to go. It was Coppin State's largest lead of the game. Vanessa Neal led the Eagles with five points during that run.
• Towson closed the third quarter on a 14-4 run and pulled to within six, 51-45 with 10 minutes to play. Martin led the Tigers with six points during that stretch. Redshirt juniors Jordyn Smith and Raine Bankston each had three points as well.
• The Tigers scored nine of the first 10 points in the fourth quarter and took a 54-52 lead with 5:38 to play. It was Towson's first lead since the end of the first quarter. Martin scored five of Towson's nine during that stretch.
• Cuevas hit one-of-two from the foul line with 4:12 to play and the two teams were tied at 55-55.
• The Tigers made the most of their opportunities from the foul line in the final four minutes. Towson was 10-for-12 from the charity stripe in the closing minutes of the game. Senior guard Raven Bankston was a perfect 6-for-6 for the Tigers during that stretch that helped seal the 69-65 win.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Foul shooting played a key role in the contest. Coppin State was 13-for-19 in the first half but just 7-for-10 in the third and fourth quarter combined. Towson was 4-for-6 from the charity stripe in the first half and went 16-for-22 in the second half.
• Six of the seven Tigers who went to the foul line in the game made at least one shot. Raven Bankston led the way as she was 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
• Towson won the rebounding battled 45-31. Nine Tigers grabbed at least two rebounds in the contest. Cuevas led the Tigers with eight rebounds.
• Martin tied her career-high with 23 points in the contest. It was her third game this season with 20 or more points.
• Raven Bankston added 16 points, five steals and seven rebounds. Raine Bankston had 14 points, five steals and four assists.
• The Tigers recorded 14 steals in the game, it was the sixth time in seven games that the Tigers have recorded double digit steals.
• For the second straight game, a Tiger coach got to face their alma mater. Towson assistant Sidney Raikes is a Coppin State graduate, who served as an assistant coach with the Eagles for eight seasons before coming to Towson.
• Goode led Coppin State with 28 points as she connected on eight three-pointers in the game.

The Tigers start a two-game road trip on Tuesday, Dec. 6 as they travel to No. 5 Maryland. Opening tip in College Park, Maryland is set for 7 p.m.