TOWSON, Md. – Three special Towson men's basketball players will perform for the final time during the regular season under the big and bright lights of SECU Arena Thursday night: Timajh Parker-Rivera, Josh Ivory and Mike Davis and the Tigers host James Madison in a colossal Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tilt.
 
"Knowing this is the last time I'll be playing in SECU Arena with my teammates is really emotional for me," Ivory said. "I know that everything comes to an end eventually, but it's still hard when that moment actually occurs. Tonight is a big game for us and everybody understands that's its more than just senior night."
 

When	Thursday, February 25, 2016
Where	Towson, Maryland (SECU Arena)
Time	8 p.m.
Team Records	James Madison (20-9 overall, 10-6 CAA); Towson (19-10, 10-6)
National Radio	Comcast Sportsnet (Rob Carlin, Brent Harris and Blaine Taylor)
Radio	TowsonTigers.com
Series	James Madison leads 30-14
Last Meeting	James Madison 73, Towson 59 (January 9, 2016)

 
Thursday will be an evening to reflect on the magnificent contributions to the Towson men's basketball program from Ivory, Parker-Rivera and Davis.
 
Davis has been a hard-worker and has made numerous behind-the-scenes contributions. A sports management major, Davis has appeared in five games this season, scoring against Gallaudet and Sacred Heart.
 
Through his work ethic, attitude and character, Ivory has been a gem for the Tigers with his selfless attitude after transferring from Baton Rouge Community College. He made an immediate impact in his first game for Towson as he handed out a career best five assists at Alabama. Many of his contributions have been of the silent variety.
 
"He's an unbelievable teammate and a competitor," Towson head coach Pat Skerry said. "He helps us everyday. He pushes the ball. He shares it and he's somebody the other guys like playing with. It's been fun to watch his development and he does a lot of the intangibles behind the scenes for us that has helped make us successful."
 
This season, Ivory made a pair of starts, helping the Tigers to a road victory against Elon. He scored a season-high six points against James Madison where he made a pair of 3-pointers. For his career, Josh has 27 3-pointers, 59 assists, 55 rebounds, 18 steals and 93 points.
 
"I've learned patience and understanding," Ivory said. "That's the moral of everything. Every coach has taught me something meaningful that I'll need in the real world and I am appreciative of that. Being part of a team that has an opportunity to do something is big and an opportunity I don't take lightly."
 
Meanwhile, Parker-Rivera, has been a rock of excellence during his career and has been part of the resurgence of Towson men's basketball during his career. He has helped Towson win 74 games over the last four years. Parker-Rivera was a member of the school record 25-win team during the 2013-14 season. The Tigers also won a pair of postseason games during that season.
 
He is currently Towson's all-time leader in games played with 128. In addition, he is seventh all-time in blocked shots (123), minutes played (3,009) and eighth in rebounds (657). He has scored 724 career points and collected four double-doubles. Parker-Rivera has 21 career double-digit scoring games.
 
As Towson has made its playoff push, Parker-Rivera has scored in double figures in four of Towson's last six games. He was a member of the 2014-15 All-CAA Academic Team. He has left quite a legacy for other Towson players to follow.  
 
"A lot of his contributions don't always show up in stat sheets, but's he's been a model teammate," Skerry said of Parker-Rivera. "He has done a great job of leading by example during his career. What he's meant to our program can't be described by just his numbers. He will be missed."
 
Seeds of Content
Towson and James Madison are among three teams tied for third place in the CAA standings with 10-6 records. The WWE-like battle royale will be decided this week as JMU ends the season with games against Towson and William & Mary. Here's what we know, Towson will open the CAA Tournament on Saturday, March 5 against one of four opponents: JMU, W&M, Northeastern or College of Charleston.
 
vs. James Madison
This will be the 45th meeting all-time between James Madison and Towson. The Dukes have won three straight games against Towson including 73-59 earlier this season. William Adala-Moto had 17 points and 13 rebounds in the setback. John Davis had six rebounds to help Towson win the battle of the boards, 34-32. Towson struggled from the field in that game, going 2-for-20 from 3-point distance. Shakir Brown led JMU with 14 points. He was one of three Dukes to reach double figures.
 
Davis Back In The Groove
After missing most of the preseason with an injury, John Davis has scored 20 or more points three times this season and posted two double-doubles each against Northeastern (20 points, 11 rebounds on 1-23-16 & 18 pts, 10 rebs on 2-11-16). He scored a season-high 22 points against Delaware on Jan. 14. He made a career-best five 3-pointers en route to tallying 21 points against Delaware on Jan. 30.  Davis scored all 12 of his points against Elon in the second half. He has scored in double figures in six of TU's last nine games.
 
Nationally-Speaking
Towson is ranked among the top 50 nationally in several categories through Feb. 23. In addition to their free-throw shooting, the Tigers are 14th in total rebounds (1149), 11th in offensive rebounding (14.0), 23rd in rebounding margin (+7.4), 29th in total blocks (140), 43rd in rebounds per game (39.6), 41st in blocked shots per game (4.8) and 49th in scoring defense (66.4).
 
Last Time Out For James Madison
Senior guard Ron Curry scored a game-high 17 points to go with six rebounds and three assists, while sophomore guard Joey McLean contributed 14 points and a pair of dimes in James Madison's 75-50 victory over Delaware last Saturday. Two other Dukes scored 10 points off the bench as sophomore forward Paulius Satkus was a rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards while junior guard Shakir Brown had seven rebounds and a game-high three steals.
 
Summer Camp Dates
The Tiger men's basketball program will offer multiple fun-filled sessions of individual boys basketball camp this summer, as well as their annual Team Camp Shootout. The individual camps are open to basketball players of all levels, ages 5 to 15. The two week-long sessions will be held in the brand new, state-of-the-art SECU Arena: Monday, June 20th through Friday, June 24th, and Monday, August 1st to Friday, August 5th. For more information CLICK HERE
 
Food Drive
The Towson University Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will do its part to help the community as it participates in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Food Drive Challenge, Feb. 22-28. Fans who bring a canned good to the men's basketball game will be able to buy a ticket for $8. Any cans collected or funds raised will go to the Maryland Food Bank. For more information CLICK HERE
 
Up Next
Towson concludes the regular season with a visit to UNCW Saturday at 1 p.m.