TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University men's basketball team – more specifically sophomore guard Zane Martin – saved its best for last.
 
In finishing a performance for the ages, Martin scored 10 of his career high and SECU Arena record 35 points in overtime as Towson rallied to claim a pulsating, 96-82, triumph over William & Mary in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) game Thursday night.
 
Martin's scoring spectacle was tied for the 10th best effort in Towson men's basketball history.
 
With pools of perspiration raining down his face, Martin was unplugged, dropping in 13-of-19 shots from the field, draining three of six triples, grabbing three rebounds and handing out a pair of assists.
 
While fans departed in awe of Martin's elegant effort, this was far from a one-man show.
 
A committee of contributors made a significant impact as the Tigers rallied from an 11-point deficit, survived a barrage of 16 William & Mary 3-pointers and overcame some foul shooting difficulties to win for the third time in four games.
 
Brian Starr was phenomenal in scoring 15 points, handing out five assists and collecting four steals. Deshaun Morman added 13 points, Mike Morsell scored 11 points and grabbed a team best seven rebounds. Eddie Keith II had 10 points. Alex Thomas, Dennis Tunstall and Justin Gorham were defensive stalwarts and helped disrupt the Tribe's offensive flow.
 
Records
William & Mary          13-7 overall, 6-3 CAA
Towson                       15-7, 5-4
 
Quotable
Towson head coach Pat Skerry on the game.
"We needed this one tonight. Normally, I'll wait until I see a stat sheet to talk to the team after the game, but heart doesn't show up on that. We beat a really good team. I am tremendously proud of my seniors. They showed leadership, resolve and grit."
 
On Martin's performance.
"Number zero was a bad, bad boy tonight. A bad, bad boy down the stretch. He had it going. What I liked was he didn't have it going early, but he didn't let it the affect the rest of his game. Our guys found him and got him the ball because they knew he had the hot hand. To me, that's what I talk about when I talk about leadership and being unselfish."
 
Martin on the reason behind his career-high performance.
"I am just blessed to have the coaching staff I have along with a lot of unselfish teammates around. They make me a better player overall. So all my thanks goes to them and my coaching staff for this type of game."
 
Brian Starr
On Towson's mindset on bouncing back from the UNCW loss.
"We made the most of our offensive opportunities after we got our defense straightened out. Losing (at UNCW last Saturday) made us hungrier and left a bad taste in our mouths. We were ready to compete against whoever our next opponent was."
 
On Martin's performance.
"It was special. It looked like everything that came out of his hands was going to go in."
 
How It Happened

• Towson outscored William & Mary, 17-3, in overtime to sweep the season series for the second time in three years.
• The Tigers never trailed in overtime after Martin opened the extra stanza with a short jumper.
• Martin made his first four shots in overtime and dished an assist to Starr.
• Towson was 5-for-6 from the field in overtime while its defense held W&M to 0-of-4 shooting and forced four turnovers.
• Dennis Tunstall forced overtime when he blocked a William & Mary shot as time expired.
• Martin tied the game at 79-79 when he made a pair of foul shots with 11 seconds remaining.
• Towson outscored William & Mary, 37-15, over the last seven minutes of regulation and overtime.
• Martin scored 20 points after Towson fell behind 67-59 with seven minutes remaining in regulation.
• The Tribe used a 16-3 burst to finish the first half.
• William & Mary's run included four 3-pointers that turned a 34-31 deficit into a 47-37 halftime edge.
• Since he wears No. 11, it should be noted that Tunstall scored the Tigers' 11th point of the game, which helped Towson open an 11-3 advantage five minutes into the game.
• Justin Pierce led the Tribe with 27 points and 14 rebounds.
• David Cohn added 17 points and six assists for William & Mary.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Martin extended his double-digit scoring streak to 16 consecutive games.
• Martin has scored 20 or more points 16 times.
• This was the fourth time in five games that Towson had at least five players reach double figures.
• This was the fourth straight game against W&M, Towson trailed by double digits at some point. Towson rallied to win three of them.
• This was the eighth time this season Towson shot over 50 percent in a game.
• After shooting 56.3 percent in the first half, the Tigers defense held the Tribe to 34.4 percent (10-for-29) over the final 25 minutes.
• W&M was 5-for-16 from 3-point distance in the second half and overtime.
• Towson is 9-0 when Starr scores double digits.
• Morsell raised his career scoring total to 1,356 points.
• Towson devoured William & Mary, 50-10, in points in the paint.
• The Tigers have scored 90 or more points in three of their last four games.
• Towson raised its overtime record to 2-1 this season.
• This was the first time Towson played consecutive overtime games since the 2007-08 season. The Tigers beat Niagara (75-72) on Dec. 9 and lost to Lafayette (79-69) on Dec. 19.
• Martin joined Roger Dickens (vs. Baltimore in 1977) and Larry Witherspoon (vs. Pitt-Johnstown in 1973) as the only Tigers to score 35 points.

 
Up Next
Towson hosts Elon Saturday at 2 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast live on SportsLive. The CAA is teaming with CBS Sports Digital for a 12-game "CAA Game of the Week" broadcast package. It's online only and links will be available beginning Friday. This is the first of three appearances for Towson. Jeff McCarragher will provide play-by-play of the games and former coach Mack McCarthy will be the analyst.
 
Towson will also celebrate Military Appreciation Day. Local military personnel, along with guests, can receive four (4) complimentary tickets, and additional tickets can be purchased at a discounted $5 price. To redeem, please call 1-855-TU-TIGER (1-855-888-4437) or email 4tigertix@towson.edu.