TOWSON, Md. – Playing its first home game in 26 days, the Towson University men's basketball team used a devastating second half burst to run away from visiting UNCW, 89-71, in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) contest at SECU Arena Friday night.
 
For a few magical moments, the SECU Arena court resembled a 94-foot pinball machine. There was such a swirl of high velocity activity and lightning-quick ball movement from side-to-side that only giant unseen flippers could have been controlling it.
 
UNCW had sliced Towson's 10-point intermission lead in half following a dunk. UNCW had momentum. Until it didn't. The Tigers flipped their secret switch and played a brand of basketball James Naismith probably did not have in mind when he hung that peach basket.
 
Towson tightened its defense, got rolling offensively and entertained the home crowd with a 22-8 run that gave the Tigers the separation necessary to extend their home court winning streak to a lucky 13.
 
Records
UNCW            4-11 overall, 1-2 CAA
Towson           11-5, 1-2
 
Quotable
Towson head coach Pat Skerry on the game.
"We really needed this one. It's been a long trip I really liked how my guys responded on the backboards tonight in the second half. That's a terrific rebounding team. Justin did a great job on the glass and battled."
 
Skerry on McNeil's performance during the 22-8 run.
"Jordan is having a really good year for us. If anything, I haven't done a good enough job of getting him enough minutes. One of the things I like about him is his maturity level and he does what he's supposed to do on and off the floor. He's a good ambassador for our program and that's why he's going to be successful. He's made shots all year and I thought the guys did a great job of finding him. If they do that, he'll make shots for us and it really helps open the floor."
 
McNeil on playing at home for the first time since Dec. 9 and his performance.
"It was great to get home and play in front of our fans because we've had a lot of extended road trips this year. I know where my spots are on the floor where I can help the team and make shots so that's the first place that I run to. My teammates found me with good passes and I was able to knock them down."
 
How It Happened

• Towson had a season best six players reach double figures highlighted by senior Mike Morsell's 24 points.
• Morsell, who was an efficient 10-of-15 shooting, added six rebounds and three assists.
• Sophomore Justin Gorham notched his first career double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds)
• Sophomore Zane Martin and senior Brian Starr added 12 points each.
• Senior Eddie Keith II scored in double figures for the third straight game with 11 points.
• Towson made 12 3-pointers, the third time this season it made double digit triples.
• The Tigers made 54 percent of their shots (34-for-63).
• Towson led for the final 33 minutes after taking the lead for good, 17-16, following a Keith II basket.
• Clinging to a 31-30 lead, Towson finished the first half by scoring 14 of the last 19 points to take a 45-35 advantage into intermission.
• After falling behind, 8-2, in rebounding, the Tigers ended the game outrebounding UNCW by 13.
• The Tigers won the battle of the boards, 38-31.

 
Inside Towson's 22-8 run

• Junior Jordan McNeil was the offensive catalyst during Towson's game-altering burst as he crammed all 10 of his points into that scintillating six-minute stretch of breathtaking basketball.
• McNeil made consecutive 3-pointers from the corner sandwiched around a Jay Estime foul shot.
• McNeil's second triple gave the Tigers a 61-49 lead with 12:51 remaining.
• Towson's lead never dropped below double digits following McNeil's second 3-pointer.
• Leading, 63-52, with 11:33 left, the Tigers scored eight consecutive points led by Morsell, who had a basket and a pair of assists.
• Five Tigers scored.
• Towson, which shot 66 percent, had six assists on its eight baskets.
• Meanwhile, defensively, Towson forced three turnovers and held UNCW to 3-of-8 shooting during the run.

 
Inside the Numbers

• All nine Towson players who saw action scored.
• Morsell moved past Brian Barber and into 14th place all-time on the Towson scoring list.
• Morsell, who has 1,281 career points, moved past Barber with a 3-pointer with 13:49 remaining in the first half.
• This was Morsell's eighth career game with at least 20 points.
• Towson opened the game making 8 of its first 10 shots.
• The Tigers also sank five of their first six 3-point field goal attempts.
• Towson is 5-0 when Brian Starr reaches double figures in points.
• This was Starr's first game in double figures since a 10-point performance against Morgan State on Dec. 6.
• This was the sixth time this season that McNeil has made at least two 3-pointers in a game.
• This was the fifth time this season Towson finished a game by shooting over 50 percent.
• Alex Thomas, who is fifth in the CAA in blocked shots, had three blocked shots.
• UNCW senior guard Jordon Talley finished with 14 points to become the 24th player in program history to join the 1,000-point club.
• Devontae Cacok (10 rebounds) and Ty Taylor led the Seahawks with 15 points each.
• It was Cacok's 11th double of the season.
• This was the most points Towson scored against UNCW since Feb. 12, 2011 when it lost 95-93 in overtime at the Towson Center.

 
Up Next
Towson will host the College of Charleston on Sunday, January 7. The matinee tips off at 2 p.m. The Tigers dropped a 73-62 decision to CofC last Saturday at TD Bank Arena. CofC is ranked third in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.  It will be Youth Group Day. All kids wearing a jersey or t-shirt from their Youth Group receive a FREE ticket! Also selected TU players will be signing postgame autographs following the game.