NEWARK, Del. – Justin Gorham made his first start of the season one to remember.
 
The 6 foot, 8 inch sophomore forward enjoyed a monster performance as he recorded his second double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds to help the Towson University men's basketball team edge Delaware, 75-71, in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) game at the Bob Carpenter Center Thursday night.
 
Towson needed every one of Gorham's career best point and rebound total to hold off Delaware.
 
His final basket with 21 seconds remaining gave the Tigers the lead for good, 69-68. Gorham was far from a solo act for the Tigers, who got a variety of contributions down the stretch to enjoy a happy four-hour bus ride to Harrisonburg, Va.
 
Mike Morsell finished with 18 points and forced a huge Delaware turnover with 10 seconds remaining with the Tigers leading by one point. Zane Martin scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half. He complemented his effort with seven rebounds and six assists.
 
Towson's defense was under siege the entire night from Delaware's guard tandem of Ryan Allen (22 points) and Anthony Mosley (21).
 
Records
Towson           16-8 overall, 6-5 CAA
Delaware         11-13, 4-7
 
Quotable
Justin Gorham on his performance and helping Towson get a road win.
"This win was very big. We needed this one to get back on track. I feel as though this win is going to spark a special streak for the program. I just went out there and did what coach asked me to do, which was be aggressive on the boards and be patient on offense. I knew if I did that then good things would come. Our defense and execution on the offensive end helped us down the stretch."
 
How It Happened

• Towson made all six of its free throws in the final seven seconds to preserve the victory.
• Gorham was 9-for-10 from the free throw line and was an equal opportunity rebounder with six each on the offensive and defensive glass.
• There were five lead changes in the final two minutes.
• Towson answered Delaware each time.
• Gorham's go-ahead basket came 12 seconds after Eric Carter gave the Blue Hens a 68-67 lead with 33 seconds remaining.
• Eddie Keith II responded after Jacob Cushing gave Delaware a 66-65 lead with 68 seconds remaining.
• Towson overcame a rough first-half shooting performance to make 17-of-28 shots (60.7 percent) after intermission.
• Gorham scored 14 points in the second half.
• Brian Starr (eight points, three steals) made a 3-pointer that stretched the Tigers lead to 51-46 with four minutes remaining.
• The Tigers trailed most of the first half after racing to a 4-0 lead.
• Also reaching double digits for Delaware was Carter (12 points) and Skye Johnson (10 points, nine rebounds).

 
Inside the Numbers

• Towson scored 52 points after intermission, its third straight game scoring at least 50 points in the second half.
• With his 18 points, Mike Morsell moved past Ralph Biggs and into 11^th place on the Towson all-time scoring list.
• Morsell has 1,390 career points.
• Morsell finished with seven rebounds for the third time in four games.
• This was Gorham's second game of 20 or more points.
• With the Gorham starting, it was the first starting lineup change of the season for Towson.
• Martin reached double figures in scoring for the 18th straight game.
• Martin enjoyed a career best assist total and tied his career rebounding total for the third time this season.
• Martin has 16 double-digit second half scoring performances this season.
• Eddie Keith II provided a lift off the bench with nine points.
• Towson trailed 16-6 with 9:08 remaining in the first half after a 16-2 UD burst.
• Alex Thomas took a pair of charges in the opening three minutes as Towson started the game with five consecutive defensive stops.
• This was the fifth time this season, Towson has rallied from a double-digit deficit to win.
• This was Towson's fifth straight win over Delaware and third consecutive at the Bob Carpenter Center.

 
Up Next
Towson returns to action Saturday at James Madison beginning at 4 p.m.