WILIAMSBURG, Va. – The defensive intensity that lifted the Towson University men's basketball team to 10 wins in its first 11 games reappeared.
 
It made the Tigers 14-point first-half deficit disappear. It made William & Mary's offense evaporate. Finally, it made the Tribe's perfect conference record vanish.

The visiting Tigers painted a hardwood masterpiece to race past William & Mary, 99-73, in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) contest Saturday afternoon.
 
In terminating William & Mary's eight game home court winning streak, Towson transformed raucous Kaplan Arena into a tabernacle of gloom by playing with adrenaline, ferocity and muscular grace.
 
For the second time in four games, Towson had six players reach double figures led by its opponent-wilting duo of senior Mike Morsell (23 points) and sophomore Zane Martin (20). Also joining the double-digit party for the Tigers were senior Eddie Keith II (15 points, five rebounds), senior Brian Starr (13), senior Deshaun Morman (11) and sophomore Justin Gorham (10).
 
William & Mary controlled the first 11 minutes, behind David Cohn's breathtaking 3-point shooting barrage. With the basket looking like a lake for Cohn, the Tribe eased to a 33-19 bulge with nine minutes remaining in the opening half before the Tigers got really got going.
 
The fun stopped for the Tribe. It started for the Tigers as they began methodically disassembling and dismantling their opponents.
 
Records
Towson                       13-5 overall, 3-3 CAA
William & Mary          12-5, 5-1
 
Quotable
Keith II on Towson's overall performance
"We were locked in and took everything personal. As a senior, I tried to set the tone. We paid attention to their patterns and what they ran. I tried my best by making sure I constantly communicated with my teammates and called out their actions."
 
Morsell on the importance of the win
"We knew we had to get this win. It was a must-win and we played like it on defense tonight. Win was very satisfying, coming off a tough loss like the other night (against Hofstra) and we needed a win like this on the road against a good team."
 
Towson head coach Pat Skerry on his team's effort.
"(William & Mary's) an offensive juggernaut and well coached. I am proud of our kids. We really challenged them, probably more than they would've liked yesterday and today at shootaround. The guys were engaged today. We have great respect for William & Mary and knew they were undefeated at home. They were in first place and we knew that if we wanted to get back on the radar that we had to respond today."
 
How It Happened

• Towson shot a season best 64.4 percent (38-for-59) to end a four-game road losing skid.
• The Tigers led by double digits for the final 15 minutes, 55 seconds.
• The Tigers finished the first half by scoring 30 of the final 40 points to open a 49-43 halftime advantage.
• Towson ended the half by making 10 of its final 12 shots.
• Furthermore, it made all six of its 3-point shot attempts as Morsell, Starr, and Martin splashed in two each.
• Towson held William & Mary without a field goal for the final 4:31 of the first half.
• Morsell scored his first points with 5:18 remaining.
• Even though Cohn ripped the nets for six 3-pointers, the Tigers remained undaunted.
• Nathan Knight, who led the Tribe with 22 points, dunked to give W&M a 41-35 lead with 4:31 left.
• Gorham made two foul shots with 2:21 remaining to give Towson the lead for good, 42-41.
• His foul shots came during the Tigers' 12-0 game-altering burst that was highlighted by points from five players.
• Towson unleashed all of its offensive firepower in a stunning second half performance that left everybody speechless and in awe.
• Towson's second half performance was simply awesome, amazing and astounding.
• The Tigers shot an incredible 67.7 percent and lit up the scoreboard for 50 points.
• Defensively, Towson held W&M to nine baskets and 39.1 percent shooting.
• More importantly, W&M, which entered the game leading the CAA in 3-point shooting percentage, only made one meaningless triple in the second half.
• Leading 65-55 with 13:58 remaining, Towson put the game away with a knockout punch.
• Morman punctuated Towson's 14-0 run with an alley-oop dunk off of a perfect pass from Martin with 7:52 remaining.
• The last eight minutes turned into a Towson highlight reel as Morsell dunked, Tunstall flushed one home and Martin scored on tough drives to the basket.
• During its second half performance, Towson made 10 shots in a row at one point over a five-and-half-minute stretch in which it outscored W&M, 22-4.

 
Inside the Numbers

• This was the second time in four meetings that Towson scored 99 points against W&M.
• This was the fourth time in series history that Towson scored at least 90 points.
• This was the second largest margin of victory by TU over W&M. Towson claimed a 76-45 win on Dec. 3, 2005 at the Towson Center.
• Towson has had runs of at least 10 or more consecutive points 11 times this season.
• Morsell became the 14th Towson player to score 1,300 career points.
• In raising his career point total to 1,322, Morsell soared past Chuck Lightning (1,305) and Lawrence Hamm (1,318) and into 12th place all-time on the Towson career scoring list.
• This was Morsell's ninth career game with at least 20 points and second in four games.
• Martin has scored in double figures in 13 consecutive contests.
• This was his 10th game this season with at least 20 points.
• Martin complemented his performance with four assists and five rebounds.
• Towson won the rebounding battle, 30-19.
• The Tigers captured the battle of the benches, 26-5.
• Towson registered 18 assists, the second time in four games it finished with that total.
• Keith II has scored in double figures in all six CAA games.
• This was the second time this season, Towson shot at least 60 percent.
• The Tigers have shot at least 50 percent in four of their last five games.
• Towson is 5-0 in its gold uniforms this season.
• Towson has scored at least 40 points in the first half in four consecutive games.
• The Tigers made 13 3-pointers.
• It was the fourth time the Tigers have made double-digit 3-pointers this season.
• After making eight of its first 13 3-point attempts, Towson's defense forced W&M into a 1-for-13 shooting effort from beyond the arc.
• Once its deficit swelled to 33-19, Towson's defense allowed 12 W&M baskets over the final 29 minutes on 37.5 percent shooting.

 
Up Next
Towson returns to action Thursday when it hosts Drexel. Tip-off from SECU Arena is 7 p.m.