TOWSON, Md. – The fun starts now as the
real season commences.
No need to use hyperbole for the Towson University men's basketball team's Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opener at the College of Charleston.
It promises to be a scintillating showdown between a pair of teams ranked in this week's Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. Although an exciting adjective was used, it's hard to refrain from such enthusiasm and excitement when the caliber of teams are as good as the Cougars (ranked fifth in the Mid-Major Poll) and Tigers (ranked 12th).
Make no mistake, this is a biggie.
| When: |
Saturday, December 30, 2017 |
| Where |
TD Bank Arena -- Charleston, S.C. |
| Time: |
4 p.m. |
| Records: |
Towson (10-3); College of Charleston (9-3) |
| Television: |
None |
| Radio: |
CBS Sports Radio 1300 AM with Spiro Morakes |
| Series History: |
6-6 |
| Last Meeting: |
March 5, 2017: Charleston 67, Towson 59, CAA Semifinals |
| Social Media Updates: |
@Towson_MBB |
For starters, this contest matches the two CAA preseason favorites. Charleston was picked by the league's coaches to win the CAA this season. For the second straight season, Towson was predicted to finish second. It's the second consecutive season Towson finds itself in a game matching the two preseason favorites in its CAA opener.
This contest also matches the CAA's top two scoring defenses. Charleston leads the conference allowing 63.0 points per outing. Towson has permitted 64.5 points per contest. They are also the only two teams in the CAA which have limited opponents to below 40 percent shooting. The Tigers lead the CAA in field goal percentage defense (38.3) while the Cougars are second (39.8).
CAA Opening Stretch
Each team in the conference will play four games over eight days to begin the CAA season. Towson and Charleston will meet again on Sunday, Jan. 7 at SECU Arena at 2 p.m.
Recent History
This will be the fourth meeting in 2017 between Charleston and Towson. Three meetings occurred during last season. The Cougars have won four of the last five meetings. Towson has averaged 56.6 points against CofC in its last 5 games. The Tigers have lost two straight games at TD Bank Arena. Last season, in three games against Towson, Charleston's Joe Chealey averaged 25.3 points per game on 25-of-44 shooting (56.8 percent). Chealey scored 25 of his 29 points in the second half to help Charleston defeat Towson, 67-59, in the CAA semifinals.
Deshaun Morman averaged 10 points per game in three games against the Cougars last season. Towson's lone win was a memorable 83-77 overtime victory on Jan, 26.
Last Time Out For Towson
Towson dropped its second consecutive game with a 63-59 loss to Pittsburgh on Friday, Dec. 22.
Zane Martin led Towson with 20 points and
Mike Morsell added 11 points.
Justin Gorham had eight points and eight rebounds. The Tigers were 1-for-15 from 3-point distance and didn't score for the final 2:46. Towson led by nine points on three different occasions. Pitt outrebounded Towson, 48-34.
A Look At Charleston
The CAA preseason favorites are 5-0 at home this season. CofC has an average margin of victory of 15.4 at TD Bank Arena. For the season, Chealey (16.8 ppg.) and Grant Riller (16.9) lead the Cougars in scoring. Riller was named CAA Player of the Week after averaging 27.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals as the Cougars went 2-0 against a pair of in-state foes. Riller poured in a career-high 31 points in an 80-64 victory over South Carolina State on Dec. 19 and followed with a team-best 24 points in a 67-65 road win at Coastal Carolina on Dec. 22. Also in the win over Coastal Carolina, Chealey, who is eighth in the CAA in scoring and third in assists, scored 14 points and Cameron Johnson added 11 points. Nick Harris notched his first double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) against Coastal Carolina.
CAA Wins Since The 2012-13 Season
Since the start of the 2012-13 season, Towson has the most regular season Colonial Athletic Association victories. The Tigers are 53-30 over that span.
| TOWSON |
53 |
| William & Mary |
51 |
| Northeastern |
50 |
| UNCW |
49 |
| James Madison |
47 |
| Delaware |
43 |
| Hofstra |
40 |
| Drexel |
32 |
| Charleston |
31 |
| Elon |
23 |
In addition Towson has won double digit CAA games four times in the last five years. It had never been done before Skerry's arrival in 2011.
Marvelous Martin
Towson sophomore
Zane Martin has scored in double figures in 12 games this season. He opened the season with 22 points against ODU. He scored 23 points against FAU. Martin scored a career best 25 points against Morgan State including a game-tying 3-pointer with 8.1 seconds remaining. He's scored 20 or more points in four consecutive games from Nov. 27-Dec. 8. Martin is among the CAA Leaders with eight games of 20 or more points. He has scored 20 or more points in six of Towson's last seven games, averaging 20.9 points over that span. In case you're wondering who had the most 20-point games in a single season for Towson. Kurk Lee had 25 such games during the 1989-90 season.
Nationally Speaking
Currently with a RPI of 53, Towson is ranked ninth in 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.1), 23rd field goal percentage defense (38.3), 36th in scoring defense (64.5), 41st in rebounds (516), 45th in rebounds per game (39.6) and 48th in blocked shots (60).
Among the CAA Leaders
The Tigers have several players ranked among the top 10 in several CAA statistical categories. Martin is sixth in scoring (18.5) and seventh in field goal percentage (50.6). Morman is sixth in free-throw percentage (81.6).
Brian Starr is tied for ninth in free-throw percentage (79.5).
Alex Thomas and
Dennis Tunstall are fifth (1.2) and seventh (1.1), respectively in blocked shots.
Road Trip Highlights
Even though the Tigers dropped a pair of games last week to Oakland and Pitt, there were still some solid individual efforts worth noting. Tunstall had a career best four blocked shots against Pitt … Morman had a career high five steals against Oakland … Martin averaged 21.0 points in the two games …
Jordan McNeil was 7-for-7 from the field en route to a career high 18 points against Oakland.
2018 CAA Tournament
The 2018 CAA Tournament will be held from Saturday, March 3 through Tuesday, March 6 at the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, S.C. For more information on the new bag and entry policy, please
CLICK HERE.
Up Next
Towson finishes its four-game road trip when it visits Elon on Tuesday, Jan. 2. It's the Tigers CAA opener. The Phoenix and Tigers split a pair of meetings last season.
Next Home Game
Towson hosts UNCW on Friday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m.
