TOWSON, Md. – In leading the Towson University men's basketball team a 78-65 victory over visiting UMBC Saturday afternoon at SECU Arena, Eddie Keith II made sure to remain perfect against Baltimore-area schools.
 
Keith II picked the perfect time to collect his first career double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds, helping Towson extend its winning streak to 10 games.
 
With the win, the Tigers have the second longest active NCAA Division I men's basketball streak behind TCU, which has won 15 straight. Villanova has won nine in a row and can tie Towson for the second longest streak if it beats La Salle Sunday.
 
Keith II, who was one of three players Towson players to score in double figures, was force in 28 entertaining minutes. He battled for loose balls like they were a winning Powerball ticket. Keith II sank timely 3-pointers, threaded nice passes and blocked a career best three shots.
 
It seemed only fitting that while he was sitting on the floor late in the game that the final rebound came straight to him.
 
Ironically, it was Keith II that actually provided the needed fuel to get the Tigers going although at the time, he didn't realize it.
 
UMBC's Arkel Lamar sank a 3-pointer from the corner and was fouled by Keith II, who put his head down and walked away in disgust. That shot gave the Retrievers a temporary euphoric feeling along with a 54-51 lead with 12 minutes, 38 remaining.

Records
UMBC             6-5
Towson           10-1
 
Streaking

• This was the Tigers' fifth straight win over UMBC.
• The 10th consecutive victory against a Baltimore-area school.
• Towson's 11th in a row inside of the friendly confines of SECU Arena.
• The Tigers are 20-2 against in-state opponents since the start of the 2012-13 season.

 
Quotable
Towson head coach Pat Skerry on the victory.
"I am proud of my guys. This was a great win over a really good basketball team. They are well-coached and have good players. We played two excellent local teams and I'll say this, local basketball is on the rise. We played well down the stretch today."
 
Keith II on his double-double.
"I wanted to be aggressive and help my team. I wanted to get this win. I never lost to a Baltimore team in my four years here so I just wanted to keep that going. That's just the competitive nature in me."
 
Morman on Towson's second half performance.
"At halftime, we talked about picking up our energy. That was the main goal throughout the second half was to make sure we have good energy and maintain that. As the game went on, our energy got stronger and we started getting more stops on defense. We started sticking together and talking to each other. That was the main focus."
 
How It Happened

• Towson sprinted to the finish by outscoring UMBC, 27-11, over the final 12:38.
• The Tigers scored eight consecutive points to take a 59-54 lead they wouldn't relinquish as Martin tied the game with a 3-pointer.
• Senior Mike Morsell gave Towson the lead for good, 56-54, with a flying layup with 10:42 remaining.
• Martin led Towson in scoring with 15 points.
• Senior Deshaun Morman, in addition to doing a yeoman's defensive job, added 11 points along with six rebounds.
• Junior Alex Thomas' seven points, six rebounds and three blocked shots were impactful.
• Towson's defense locked in and suffocated a UMBC team that was averaging 83.6 points entering the game.
• Over the final 12 minutes, UMBC was 3-for-22 from the field (13.6 percent).
• The Retrievers missed nine consecutive shots over an eight-minute period.
• Meanwhile, the Tigers offense got going behind Martin, who scored 10 points in the final 12 minutes.
• Keith and Dennis Tunstall, who energized the crowd with another blocked shot he sent flying into the second row, combined for 12 of Towson's 19 rebounds in the final 12 minutes.
• Martin and Morman combined for the play of the game on a fastbreak. Martin threw the ball to Morman, who defied physics to soar high and lay the ball in off the glass. That gave Towson a 72-59 lead with 3:18 remaining.
• The Tigers held their own from 3-point distance with the Retrievers, who made double-digit 3-pointers for the 10th straight game. UMBC made 10 3-pointers and Towson finished with nine.
• UMBC, which entered the game second in the nation in 3-pointers made per game at 12.7, made 2 of its last 12 from 3-point distance after Lamar's triple.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Keith II produced Towson's first double-double this season.
• It was Keith II's third double-figure scoring game this season and 13th of his career.
• Martin has scored in double figures in five consecutive games.
• In his last two games, Martin has scored 65 percent of his points in the second half.
• Morman reached double figures for the fourth time this season.
• The Tigers blocked a season best nine shots.
• In the two games at home this week, Towson averaged 8.5 blocked shots per game.
• Towson won the rebounding battle, 49-35. It was the 93rd time in the Pat Skerry-era that Towson finished with at least 40 rebounds.
• The Tigers had four players finish with at least six rebounds.
• The Tigers shot 45.0 percent, the eighth time they made at least 40 percent of their shots.
• UMBC finished at 29.0 percent from the field, the second time this season Towson limited an opponent to below 30 percent shooting.
• Justin Gorham's nine points helped Towson win the battle of the benches, 29-11.
• Gorham also made his first collegiate 3-pointer.
• Jarius Lyles led UMBC with 21 points on 7-of-21 shooting. He also added eight rebounds.

 
Up Next
Towson begins a four-game road trip with a Vegas 16 reunion at Oakland, currently ranked 13th in the Mid-Major poll. Oakland defeated Towson, 90-72, in the quarterfinals of the Vegas 16 tournament in Las Vegas on March 28, 2016. Morsell (22 points) and Keith II (11) combined for 33 points on 13-of-23 shooting. Morsell made four 3-pointers in the game against Oakland.
 
Next Home Game
The Tigers return home to face Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) competition. They will host the two-time CAA Tournament champion UNCW on Friday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m.
 

LONGEST WINNING STREAKS IN TOWSON HISTORY
1976-77 (Dec. 9-Feb. 25)	23 games
1977-78 (Dec. 7-Feb. 13)	17 games
2017-18 (Nov. 13-Dec. 9)	10 games
1991-92 (Jan. 25-Feb. 20)	10 games