ESTERO, Fla. – While hearts raced 1,000 miles per hour and palms persistently perspired during the frenzied final seconds of a sweetheart of a men's basketball game between Towson and Georgia Southern, senior guard Deshaun Morman was as cool as a scoop of ice cream.
 
With the game lathered in sweat and suspense and fans nervously sitting on the edge of their seats, biting their nails and in some cases, covering their eyes, Morman was dancing to the tunes being played in the building as the Tigers prepared to make one final defensive stand while protecting a three-point lead with 1.8 seconds remaining.
 
After Georgia Southern's final 3-pointer bounced off of the rim and fell harmlessly to the floor, the Tigers exhaled and celebrated a thrilling, 70-67, victory in the Gulf Coast Showcase championship contest at Estero Arena Wednesday night.
 
It was a night filled with tension, turbulence and triumph for the Tigers who claimed their first regular season tournament championship since winning the Baltimore Beltway Classic in 1990. In handing Georgia Southern its first loss of the season, Towson knocked off a squad that entered the game ranked ninth in the latest CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top 25.
 
Mike Morsell led Towson with 16 points to earn tournament most valuable player honors. Brian Starr, who finished with 15 points, also earned a spot on the all-tournament team for the Tigers. Morman scored 12 of his 13 points in the first half to help Towson earn some separation from the Eagles.
 
Records
Towson                       5-1
Georgia Southern        5-1


 














How It Happened

• There were three ties and four lead changes in the final 2 minutes, 41 seconds.
• Towson made six free throws in the final 90 seconds to subdue the Eagles.
• Eddie Keith II gave Towson the lead for good, 63-62, with 1:25 remaining after scoring a finger roll and making the ensuing foul shot.
• Starr, who scored 13 points in the second half, took control.
• He made an awesome defensive play in stealing the ball and feeding Morsell for a layup and a 65-62 lead with 45 seconds left.
• Earlier with Towson staggering and in need of a big basket Starr delivered.
• After the Tigers had their 36-22 advantage with 18 minutes remaining erased and reversed into a 59-55 deficit, Starr sank a 3-pointer from the corner after Keith II sank two free throws to give the Tigers a 60-59 lead with 2:41 remaining.
• Towson appeared to be rolling after opening the second half with seven straight points to open a 36-22 lead.
• The Tigers still appeared to be in control after Starr gave Towson a 52-42 lead with 10 minutes remaining.
• Towson went nearly five minutes without a basket and Georgia Southern blitzed the Tigers with 13 consecutive points to take a 55-52 lead.
• Yet, the Tigers didn't panic and showed their championship poise when it was needed the most to make a final charge.
• Leading 12-11, Towson exploded for a 12-0 run with Morman scoring eight consecutive points during the burst on a layup and a pair of corner 3-pointers.
• Jake Allsmiller led the Eagles with 18 points and GS close the half by scoring 11 of the final 16 points.
• Montae Green and Mike Hughes added 11 points each for Georgia Southern.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Towson is 5-1 for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
• The last time Towson won an in-season tournament, it qualified for the NCAA tournament.
• Towson won the rebounding battle, 43-40.
• Justin Gorham had a career best nine rebounds to lead Towson.
• Alex Thomas added seven rebounds in a season high 29 minutes.
• Keith II added five rebounds to complement his nine points.
• The teams combined to shoot 63 foul shots.
• Morsell raised his career point total to 1,153 and passed Marcus Damas to move into 19th place all-time on the Towson scoring list.
• Morsell reached double figures for the fourth time this season and 57th time in his career.
• Towson has led at halftime in every game this season.
• Starr has scored in double figures in three of Towson's last four games.
• The Tigers limited Georgia Southern to 34.4 percent shooting.
• The Eagles entered the game shooting 45.2 percent.
• After making its first shot of the contest, Georgia Southern went through a 3-for-20 shooting stretch.
• Georgia Southern's Tookie Brown handed out 11 assists.
• Towson and Georgia Southern combined to score 17 points over the last two minutes.

 
Up Next
Towson returns to action Monday when it hosts St. Mary's College at SECU Arena at 6 p.m.