TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University men's basketball team begins its final regular season road trip of the 2017-18 campaign by visiting Northeastern in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) contest.
| When: |
Thursday, February 22, 2018 |
| Where |
Matthews Arena --Boston, Mass.. |
| Time: |
7 p.m. |
| Records: |
Towson (18-11, 8-8 CAA) Northeastern (19-9, 12-4) |
| Television: |
None |
| Radio: |
CBS Sports Radio 1300 AM with Spiro Morakes |
| Series History: |
Northeastern leads 22-15 |
| Social Media Updates: |
@Towson_MBB |
Series Notes
The 38th all-time meeting is the second game between Towson and Northeastern in 12 days … The Tigers and Huskies have met seven times over the last two years … Towson blasted Northeastern, 82-54, in the CAA quarterfinals … Northeastern is 11-2 at home and Towson is 4-7 on the road … Towson is 5-10 all-time at Northeastern … The Huskies have won five consecutive games … The Tigers have won two of their last three road games.
Last Time Out For Towson
Four players scored in double figures for Towson during its 69-66 loss to James Madison at SECU Arena Saturday night. Towson had two chances to force overtime in the final seven seconds, but both shots were unsuccessful.
Zane Martin led Towson by scoring 13 of his game-high 21 points in the second half. Also reaching double digits for the Tigers were
Eddie Keith II (12 points),
Jordan McNeil (11), and
Mike Morsell (10).
Justin Gorham's 12 rebounds helped the Tigers win the board battle, 39-33.
A Look At Northeastern
The Huskies have a five-game winning streak following their 69-67 win over William & Mary last Saturday. Vasa Pusica, who scored the winning basket at buzzer, finished with 19 points, just a point shy of tallying his fifth-straight 20-point effort, while adding six rebounds and six assists in the game. Maxime Boursiquot finished the game 6-of-7 from the field with a season-high tying 13 points.The Huskies are 12-4 in the conference and are currently in second place heading into the final two games of the season. The Huskies were picked to finish sixth in the CAA preseason poll. Northeastern is 11-2 at home this season. Shawn Occeus currently leads the CAA in thefts this season with 2.0 steals per game.
Last Meeting Against Northeastern
The Huskies beat the Tigers 77-62 at SECU Arena on Feb. 10.
Zane Martin scored 21 points to lead the Tigers.
Mike Morsell added 17 points.
Justin Gorham grabbed eight rebounds for Towson. Martin and Morsell combined to score 25 of Towson's 38 second half points. Northeastern shot 57.1 percent (24-for-42). The Huskies missed five shots after intermission (13-for-18, 72.7 percent). Vasa Pusica led three Huskies in double figures with a game-high 23 points. Northeastern also got 14 points along with eight rebounds from Devon Begley and 10 points from Bolden Brace.
McNeil's Moment
Jordan McNeil made all three of his 3-point shot attempts against James Madison. He made three triples en route to finishing with 11 points, his first double-digit outing since Jan. 5. McNeil made a season best four 3-pointers against Frostburg State. It was the sixth time this season he's scored in double figures. McNeil scored a career best 18 points on 7-of-7 shooting at Oakland on Dec. 20.
Board Bosses
Towson has out rebounded 69 of its last 78 opponents. Since head coach
Pat Skerry took over the program in 2011-12, Towson has grabbed at least 40 rebounds 98 times. Gorham grabbed 12 rebounds against James Madison. In six starts this month, Gorham is averaging 9.8 rebounds per game. He's finished with double digit rebounds three times and has grabbed at least seven boards in five of those starts. Gorham's career best rebounding total is 17 against James Madison on Feb. 3.
Nationally Speaking
Currently with a RPI of 146, Towson is ranked among the top 50 in five categories: 24th in total rebounds (1,107), 32nd in blocks (129), 34th in offensive rebounds per game (12.4), 35th in rebounding margin (5.6), and 46th in blocked shots per game (4.4).
Up Next
Towson visits Hofstra in its regular season finale Saturday, Feb. 24 at 4 p.m. That game is part of the CAA Game of the Week package, which can be seen for free on CollegeSportsLive.com.
