ELON, N.C. – The Towson University men's basketball team rode a 53-point second half performance to defeat Elon 77-60 in its Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opener at the Schar Center Friday night. It was the first CAA contest in the history of the Schar Center.
 
Leading the Tigers were juniors Tobias Howard Jr. and Brian Fobbs with 21 points each. Fobbs added seven rebounds and five assists. Senior Alex Thomas scored all 12 of his points in the second half, including the first 3-pointers of Thomas' career.
 
Speaking of 3-pointers, Elon entered the game leading the CAA in 3-pointers made per game (10.7) while Towson was last (5.5). So naturally, Towson finished with 10 triples while holding Elon to eight harmless 3-pointers.
 
Quotable
Thomas on his 3-pointers coming during the middle of Towson's second half run.
"It's a nice feeling to hit them during a rally. I really just try to do anything to win and the fact I could contribute on defense and offense tonight was a great feeling."
 
Thomas on making his first career 3-pointers.
"I've been shooting the ball well from mid-range the last few games and I had a hit a few in this game, so when I caught the ball I was open and I just thought 'why not.' I mean there were only few seconds left on the shot clock and we weren't going to get a better look than that. The second shot was purely a heat check and my confidence was sky high so I knew I was going to shoot it when the big men helped off me and left me open."
 
Howard on what made the difference in the second half.
"We played with more energy and really locked in on defense. We forced them to take tough two instead of getting easy 3-pointers. That gave us momentum to take control on the offensive end by sharing the ball and getting good shots. That was key for us."
 
How It Happened

• Towson used multiple scoring runs of 10 or more points during the second half to win for the third time in four games.
• Towson recorded assists on 13 of its 16 baskets in the second half.
• The Tigers shot 64 percent (16-for-25) after intermission.
• Thomas, Howard and Fobbs outscored Elon, 41-33, in the second half.
• Fobbs and Howard combined to score Towson's first 15 points of the second half.
• Howard was 4-of-5 from 3-point distance in the second half.
• Howard finished with a career best five 3-pointers.
• Thomas, who scored a season-high point total, punctuated a decisive 10-0 game-altering run over two minutes by making 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give the Tigers a 67-50 advantage with 4 minutes, 21 seconds remaining.
• Dennis Tunstall finished a 21-4 Towson burst by draining a baseline jumper to give the Tigers a 54-46 edge with 7:45 remaining.
• Nakye Sanders scored six consecutive points to help snap a 46-46 tie.
• Towson scored 13 consecutive points to grab a 46-42 lead following a Solomon Uyaelunmo layup with 12:19 remaining.
• The Tigers overcome the temporary inconvenience of a 42-33 deficit four minutes into the second half by limiting Elon to four points over a stretch of 8:23.

• Jakigh Dottin energized the Tigers in the first half with six points in seven minutes on 3-of-4 shooting.
• Towson absorbed a 17-2 Elon run that immediately erased its 6-0 lead.
• The Tigers also survived a stretch of where it made 1-of-16 shots over a seven-minute period during the first half.
• Steven Santa Ana led the Phoenix with 21 points.
• Tyler Seibring scored 12 points and Chuck Hannah added 11 points.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Towson scored 1.167 points per possession.
• Fobbs has led Towson in scoring in 10 consecutive games.
• Fobbs has scored in double figures in nine straight games.
• This was the fourth time this season Fobbs finished with at least 20 points.
• Fobbs has had six games this year in which he has grabbed at least seven rebounds.
• Leading the CAA in rebounding margin, Towson has won the battle of the boards, 38-25.
• It's the sixth straight game in which Towson had more rebounds than its opponent.
• Tunstall led Towson with eight rebounds, the sixth straight game he's finished with at least seven boards.
• This was the eighth time this season Howard has reached double figures in scoring.
• Howard has scored 20 or more points twice this season.
• Towson is 2-0 when Fobbs and Howard score 20 points in the same game.
• This was Thomas' first game reaching double digits since he scored 13 against Delaware on Jan. 21, 2016.
• This was the fifth career double digit game for Thomas.
• The Tigers were 13-of-14 from the foul line.
• Towson ended a three-game CAA regular season skid.
• Towson scored 54 points in the second half against Elon on Jan. 27, 2018.
• This is Towson's first season-opening CAA win since it won at William & Mary, 76-69, on Dec. 31, 2015.

 
Up Next

• Towson finishes its weekend road trip at William & Mary on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 4 p.m.
• Following Sunday's game, the Tigers start a three-game homestand against the College of Charleston (Thursday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m.), UNCW (Saturday, Jan. 5 at 2 p.m.) and Cornell (Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.).