ESTERO, Fla. –
Zane Martin was an infernal force who played with pugnacity and purpose in leading the Towson University men's basketball team to a 76-52 victory over Florida Atlantic in a quarterfinal contest of the Gulf Coast Showcase at Germain Arena Monday.
In tying his career high with 23 points, Martin's sensational scoring spree was a treat. Despite being hounded by a tight-knot of defenders, Martin shot 9-for-13 from the field and 4-of-7 from 3-point distance to help Towson win its third consecutive contest.
The Tigers advance to the semifinals where they will meet Penn at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night. The other semifinal matches Georgia Southern against UMKC.
Records
Florida Atlantic 1-2
Towson University 3-1
Quotable
Martin on Towson's defensive effort and ball movement.
"I thought we did a good job of contesting shots and using our length. Everybody was sitting in their gaps and we stay focused for the entire possession. Offensively, watching our ball movement and being a part of it was exciting and got everybody hyped. We work on ball movement all the time and it's good to see it pay off in games."
How It Happened
- Martin was an equal opportunity scorer as he finished with his second game of at least 20 points this season.
- Martin scored 10 points in the first half as Towson led 36-25 at halftime and added 13 after intermission.
- Eddie Keith II scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half as the Tigers outscored the Owls, 40-27.
- Keith II also complemented his all-around performance with four assists and four rebounds.
- Justin Gorham reached double figures for the third straight game with 10 points.
- Four Tigers had five rebounds each: Deshaun Morman, Jordan McNeil, Alex Thomas and Dennis Tunstall.
- Towson made a season-best nine 3-pointers.
- Five of the Tigers 3-pointers occurred during a sizzling seven-minute stretch that put the game out of reach.
- Leading 51-40 with 9:15 remaining, Martin started a 25-8 Towson burst with a 3-pointer from the corner.
- McNeil ended the run with a 3-pointer in which Towson moved the ball around the court like a ping-pong ball.
- Of course, Towson is built on its defense. It shined in the second half.
- The Tigers held FAU to 28.1 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes.
- Morman had a pair of awesome steals and finishes. One in each half.
- In the second half, he stripped a FAU ballhandler, raced down the court, and soared for a dunk.
- FAU was led in scoring by Ronald Depth's double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds).
Inside the Numbers
- Mike Morsell also added eight points for Towson.
- Morsell also upped his career point total to 1,119 points to move past former teammate John Davis and into 20th place all-time on the Towson career scoring chart.
- Towson had a season best 16 assists.
- Behind the determined play of Alex Thomas, The Tigers outrebounded FAU, 25-17, in the second half to win the battle of the boards, 40-37.
- Towson has outrebounded 51 of its last 55 opponents.
- Through four games, Towson is limiting opponents to 15.7 percent from 3-point distance.
- The Tigers shot 53.4 percent for the game, its third consecutive contest over 50 percent shooting.
- Towson never trailed.
- The Tigers have led at halftime in all four games.
- McNeil's five rebounds tied a career high set last year against Stony Brook.
- The Tigers have won three straight neutral site games while wearing their white uniforms.
- Towson has held three of four opponents below 60 points.
- The Tigers are 2-0 on Monday's.
- This was the third straight game that Towson made at least eight 3-pointers.
A Look At Pennsylvania
Penn defeated Northern Illinois, 93-80, behind junior
Max Rothschild set career highs with 22 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. He went 8-of-10 from the field to help Penn win its third straight victory. Sophomore
A.J. Brodeur broke out with 25 points, a season high, and added five rebounds and four assists. Brodeur was 10-of-16 from the field and knocked down three three-point shots in the game. The Quakers average 9.8 3-pointers per game. This will be the first meeting between Towson and Penn since 1996.
