PHILADELPHIA – Towson University senior forward John Davis simply refused to allow Drexel to spoil his final collegiate contest in the city of Brotherly Love.
 
So when the Dragons erased an 11-point second half deficit and grabbed a one-point lead with less than three minutes remaining, Davis went to work. He scored to give Towson a lead it wouldn't relinquish and then blocked a shot on Drexel's next possession.
 
Those two huge and momentum-shifting plays helped the Tigers escape west Philadelphia with a 69-65 victory over Drexel in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) men's basketball game at the Daskalaskis Athletic Center Saturday afternoon.
 
Davis finished with his eighth double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) of the season to help Towson extend its winning streak to four. He also added a pair of assists and a hefty dose of leadership, poise and willpower once Drexel took its brief second-half lead that lasted 12 seconds. Kurk Lee led four Drexel players in double figures with 18 points and five assists.
 
Towson's all-around team effort which featured a committee of contributors was so good that William Penn, the iconic statue on top of Philadelphia's City Hall, would have tipped his cap to the Tigers as their bus headed south on Interstate 95.
 
Records
Towson           17-10 overall, 9-5 CAA
Drexel             9-18, 3-11
 
How It Happened

• Alex Thomas finished with a career best 14 rebounds to go along with eight points and two steals in 21 entertaining minutes.
• Deshaun Morman, Mike Morsell and Zane Martin, playing in his first collegiate game in his hometown, scored nine points each.
• Davis' go ahead basket occurred with 2:31 remaining.
• Morsell connected on a 16-foot step back jumper to extend Towson's lead to 65-62 with 88 seconds remaining.
• Morsell followed that basket with a thunderous one-handed dunk that gave Towson a 67-63 lead with 59 seconds left.
• Towson held Drexel without a basket for 2 minutes, 58 seconds after Drexel tied the game at 61 with 3:12 remaining.
• Jordan McNeil scored all eight of his points during a 2:10 stretch of the second half that gave Towson it largest lead of the game, 57-46, with 9:06 remaining.
• Overall 10 of the 11 players who saw action for Towson marked up the scoring column.
• Morman scored all his points in the first half to help Towson take a 33-28 lead into intermission.
• Martin fueled an 8-0 Towson charge midway through the first half by scoring a layup and converting the ensuing foul shot for the old fashioned 3-point play.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Towson was 11-for-11 from the foul line.
• The Tigers won the battle of the benches, 37-4.
• Towson grabbed 41 rebounds, the sixth time in the last seven games, finishing with at least 40 rebounds.
• Towson made 51.9 percent of its shots (14-for-27) after intermission
• It was the ninth time this season Towson has shot 50 percent or better in the second half.
• Martin had three steals.
• Davis upped his career totals to 1,114 points and 713 rebounds.
• Davis has 23 career double doubles and 56 career games scoring in double figures.
• Towson has won nine of its last 10 games.
• Towson has won eight of the last 10 meetings against Drexel, including four straight.
• The Tigers have won four of the last five games played at Drexel.
• There were six ties and nine lead changes.
• Sammy Mojica scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half for Drexel.
• After burning Towson for 27 points and 15 rebounds last week, Rodney Williams finished with 11 points and four rebounds.

 
Quotable
Thomas on his career best 14 rebounds.
"Rodney Williams really killed us the last game and that was partially my fault because I didn't come out ready to play. This time I made it my mission to go out and give all on both ends of the floor. I just happened to be in the right place most of the game to grab rebounds. This is a great team win for us to get on the road. We are focused on finishing the season strong and go into the CAA tournament with a lot of momentum.
 
Martin on playing in Philadelphia and Towson's mental toughness late.
"It was really special playing here in front of a lot of my friends and family. I wanted this game a lot and I was happy that we were able to stay together as a team and get the win. I knew that JD really wanted to win this game. Everything we do everyday is for JD and Moto. When we get down or teams make runs on us late, we become closer as a team. Our coach gets us ready for these types of scenarios everyday in practice."
 
Up Next
Towson begins its final homestand of the season when it hosts Elon Thursday at 7 p.m. Elon knocked off UNCW, 77-76, on Saturday and trails Towson by one game in the race for third place in the CAA standings with two weeks remaining. Elon also defeated Towson, 72-61, on Jan. 7.