TOWSON, Md. – Even though there's a lot of basketball remaining this season, it's clear through numerous preseason practices and the first two games, that the Towson University men's basketball program have some players who can do some special things.
 
Among them are the freshmen tandem of Jason Gibson and Charles Thompson, a pair of tough competitors with a genuine love for the game. They have been vital cogs in Towson's intricately choreographed offense.
 
Gibson has scored in double figures in both games while averaging four assists. Meanwhile, Thompson leads Towson with an 11.5 rebounding per game average after finishing with 17 caroms in the Tigers' 100-31 victory over Bryn Athyn.
 
Thompson's effort was tied for ninth best single-game performance in Towson history. It was the second most rebounds by a TU freshman in program history. Pat McKinley had 18 rebounds in a 101-89 win against Wheeling College in February, 1974.
 
Gibson and Thompson are excited for the upcoming challenges that await them beginning with Kent State to conclude a three-game homestand.

 

When:	Monday, November 11, 2019
Where	SECU Arena -- Towson, Md.
Time:	7 p.m.
Records:	Towson (2-0); Kent State (1-0)
Television/Internet:	Flo Hoops with Brent Harris and John Feinstein
Radio:	CBS Sports Radio 1300AM with Spiro Morakes
Series History:	Towson leads 1-0; First meeting since 1979
Streak/Last Meeting:	Towson W1
Social Media Updates:	@Towson_MBB

Promotions

• Giveaway-Schedule magnets.
• Student Partner-Greek Life.
• Discounted Concessions - $5 food vouchers.
• Veterans receive complimentary admission.

 
Starting Five

• Towson head coach Pat Skerry had a great personal week. He won his 125th game at Towson (vs. George Washington) and notched his 150th career head coaching victory, including his stint at Division III Curry College, (vs. Bryn Athyn).
• Towson leads the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in scoring defense (44.5), field goal percentage defense (31.6), 3-point field goal percentage defense (21.1), rebounding (26.0), blocked shots (4.5), steals (13.0), scoring margin (+41.5), rebounding margin (+15.0) and turnover margin (+11.0).
• Towson is 2-0 for the first time since 2016.
• With a win, the Tigers would improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2013.
• Kent State and Towson enter this game having defeated Division III opponents in their last outing.

 
Towson Update

• Towson walk-ons Nigel Haughton (18 points), Chris Caligiuran (eight) and Justin Patterson (eight) all established career best scoring totals while accounting for 33 of Towson's 65 bench points in Friday's 100-31 win over Bryn Athyn.
• All 11 players who saw action against Bryn Athyn marked the scoring column.
• Towson never trailed against Bryn Athyn and led by double digits for the final 33 minutes.
• Solomon Uyaelunmo played a game-high 30 minutes against Bryn Athyn.
• Uyaelunmo (7), Juwan Gray (8) and Charles Thompson (17) all had at least seven rebounds against Bryn Athyn.
• Dennis Tunstall has 80 career blocked shots and 454 career rebounds. He's poised to become the ninth player in program history to have 100 career blocked shots. He is tied with Lawrence Hamm for 10th place on the all-time blocked shot chart.

 
Leaders of the Pack

• Allen Betrand leads the CAA in 3-point field goal percentage (75.0).
• Thompson leads the conference in blocked shots (2.0), offensive rebounds (5.5) and is tied for third in rebounding (11.5).
• Gibson (8.0) and Jakigh Dottin (6.0) are the top two, respectively, in the CAA in assist to turnover ratio.
• Gibson is tied for eighth in assists (4.0) in the CAA.
• Gray is all-over the CAA leaderboard. He is tied for fifth in blocked shots (1.0), eighth in 3-point field goal percentage (57.1), 10th in scoring (15.5), 10th in field goal percentage (57.1), 10th in offensive rebounds (2.5), and 11th in 3-pointers made per game (2.0).
• Tunstall is tied for fourth in offensive rebounds (3.0) and tied for 12th in steals (1.5).

 
A Look At Kent State

• Kent State returns six players from last season's team, including three starters in proven seniors Phillip Whittington (11.1 ppg., 8.1 rpg.) Antonio Williams (11.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg), and CJ Williamson (6.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg).
• Other notable returners are senior Mitch Peterson (3.8 ppg), junior Danny Pippen, and lone sophomore Anthony Roberts (5.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg) who was named to the All-MAC Freshman Team.
• Kent State defeated Hiram, 97-58, in its season opener Wednesday. Roberts led the Flashes with 18 points. Williams and Simons added 17 points each.
• Danny Pippen added 11 points and 11 rebounds. Giovanni Santiago handed out 10 assists.
• Kent State was picked to finish third in the MAC's Eastern Division.
• Freshman Kalin Bennett, the first true freshman diagnosed with autism to sign a letter of intent in Division-I men's basketball, made history when he checked into the contest. The Little Rock native doubled down by hitting a hook shot in the lane for his first collegiate bucket. He was one of 12 different Flashes to score in what was a balanced scoring effort.

 
The Last Meeting/Series Notes

• Second all-time meeting.
• Kent State claimed a 74-67 victory on December 10, 1979 in Kent, Ohio.
• However, the victory was later forfeited to Towson because Kent State used an ineligible player.
• That contest against Kent State was Towson's fourth game as a NCAA Division I program.
• Towson's first game as a Division I program was a 66-63 setback to American on December 1, 1979.

 
Sound Smart With Your Friends

• The Tigers are 30-14 in the Pat Skerry-era when allowing fewer than 60 points.
• Towson is averaging 16 assists in its two games.
• The Tigers have scored 40 points in three consecutive halves.
• The Tigers averaged 1.351 points per possession against Bryn Athyn.
• Gibson has scored 24.2 percent of Towson's 95 bench points.

 
Coming Attractions

• Towson begins an extended period away from SECU Arena starting with a trip to visit sixth-ranked Florida on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
• That game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 with Rich Hollenberg and Andy Kennedy on the call.
• The Tigers will also compete in the Charleston Classic from Thursday, Nov. 21 through Sunday, Nov. 24.
• Towson opens with 21st-ranked Xavier on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.

Coaches Powering Forward
Coaches from around the country have been raising money for autism through Coaches Powering Forward for Autism benefiting Autism Speaks.  Coaches have worn the blue puzzle piece pin on their suit jackets during the games over that weekend. The movement was started by Towson head coach Pat Skerry and USF assistant coach Tom Herrion. Last season, more than 375 NCAA coaches participated by wearing an Autism Speaks blue puzzle piece lapel pin to help increase understanding and acceptance of people with autism. In total, more than 4,400 pins were worn by coaching staff, officials, broadcasters, and school teams.
 
About Autism
Autism is the fastest growing developmental disorder in our society. According to the Autism Speaks website, one in every 68 children (one in every 42 boys) is diagnosed on the autism spectrum. ASD affects over 3 million individuals in the U.S. and tens of millions worldwide. Moreover, government autism statistics suggest that prevalence rates have increased 10 to 17 percent annually in recent years.

FloSports Partnership With The CAA
Founded in 2006, FloSports is a venture-backed OTT subscription video streaming service dedicated to sports, offering live and on- demand access to tens of thousands of competitions across 20+ sports in the US and abroad. FloSports offers a growing library of more than 2,000 hours of premium content and owns exclusive broadcast rights to 4,000+ premier events, with over 1M hours live streamed since inception. The company has 250 employees and is based in Austin, TX. For more information, please visit flosports.tv. Towson fans can subscribe at a rate of $12.50 per month or $95.88 per year ($7.99 per month), which provides access to all CAA games and special features, as well as all of the content that FloSports offers. Fans can watch the games live and via on-demand, while also getting other exclusive CAA content by becoming a monthly or annual subscriber. Either subscription unlocks access to premium content across the entire FloSports network and fans can watch across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Roku, or Apple TV 4.

Tigers in the Community
The Towson University athletics department deems community service as one of its highest priorities to give back to the Greater Baltimore area. For the seventh consecutive year, the department exceeded 10,000 hours of community service to the Greater Baltimore region, finishing with 11,162 hours of community service in the 2018-19 academic season. Towson ranked No. 1 nationally for community service and won the 2018 National Championship for Community Service through the Helper Helper NCAA Team Works Competition. Towson had a 97% participation rate, attended 118 community service opportunities and volunteered with 19 organizations. Towson won the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award from Susan G. Komen of Maryland.