CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Towson University men's basketball team painted a masterpiece of defensive mayhem to defeat Saint Joseph's, 76-64, in the seventh-place game of the Gildan Charleston Classic at TD Arena Sunday night.
 
There was a lot to like about this victory.
 
In terminating a four-game losing streak and beating Saint Joseph's for the first time in program history, the Tigers were a black-and-gold swirling mass of menace and muscle that attacked with merciless fury especially on defense. They held the Hawks without a basket for nearly seven minutes during a pivotal stretch of the second half and limited them to 36.8 percent shooting.
 
Juwan Gray energized Towson's attack with a team best 14 points. Allen Betrand finished with 13 points while Jakigh Dottin and Brian Fobbs contributed 12 points each for the Tigers. Jason Gibson did his damage in the first half with three long 3-pointers for his nine points. Nicolas Timberlake, playing his third game of the year, tallied a season best eight points.
 
Saint Joseph's never led. The Hawks were led by Ryan Daly (13 points, 12 rebounds) and Chereef Knox (12 points).
 
Records
Saint Joseph's 2-5
Towson           3-4
 
Quotable
Towson head coach Pat Skerry on his team's performance.
"Coming off of a heartbreaking loss to a great Buffalo team and playing an Atlantic-10 team with a rich history, I just liked how our guys responded tonight. I mean, up 20, with three minutes to go. That's not something you expect. It was a team win and our defense was great.
 
Skerry on the significance of playing on national television against strong competition.
"We have a chance to be a good team. None of our guys are happy because we know we could be 6-1 right now, but we've a tough schedule and still have a tough schedule coming up. Having the chance to four consecutive games on national television is a great thing for our program and university. I am excited about where we can get to."
 
Fobbs on Towson's victory and offensive balance.
"It was solid effort and everybody played a key role in helping us beat a good team. We all focused on defending. It was great to see everybody do a little bit of everything tonight. I am really proud of this team win. We did a good job of answering their run. Our focus was to keep playing defense and run our offense."
 
 
How It Happened

• Saint Joseph's had sliced Towson's 18-point first half advantage to 49-47 with 11:18 remaining.
• The Hawks had a chance to tie the game, but after they missed a potential game-tying layup, the contest belonged to Towson.
• The Tigers used a 22-4 burst to open a 71-51 bulge with 3:39 left.
• During that brilliant stretch of dynamic defense, Towson forced seven consecutive missed Saint Joseph's shots along with three turnovers.
• Meanwhile, six different Tigers scored during the same stretch of phenomenal play.
• Dottin started the run with an old-fashioned 3-point play that gave Towson a 52-47 edge.
• Timberlake finished it with a 3-pointer from the corner.
• Dottin tallied 10 points in the second half.
• Towson's defense set the tone immediately.
• The iconic Hawk mascot wasn't the only one incessantly flapping, Towson's arms – resembling windmills -- were a symphony of choreographed chaos: Always in motion deflecting the ball, stepping into passing lanes and blocking shots.
• Towson forced Saint Joseph's into a 2-for-19 shooting start over the first nine minutes.
• The Tigers roared to a 20-4 advantage with 10:25 remaining after a Gibson 3-pointer.
• Towson's first half lead peaked at 35-17 four minutes before halftime.

 
Highlight Dunks

• Timberlake had a two-handed flush over a Saint Joseph's defender in the first half with 11:13 remaining to give TU a 17-4 lead.
• Dennis Tunstall, playing with three stitches and a white bandage beneath his nose, finished a great fastbreak alley-oop off of a Fobbs pass that gave Towson a 54-47 lead with 10:07 left.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Towson made a season best 10 3-pointers.
• Dottin tied his career high with 12 points. It was the third time in his career, he scored that many points.
• Towson also ended a six-game losing streak at TD Arena.
• All nine players who saw action for Towson scored.
• Fobbs complemented his scoring with seven rebounds and four assists.
• Nakye Sanders and Gray had six rebounds each for the Tigers, which won the battle of the boards, 41-39.
• The Tigers were 10-for-11 from the foul line in the second half.
• This was the second straight opponent and fourth team this season that Towson held below 40 percent shooting.
• Seven players had at least one assist as Towson finished with 17, the second most in a game this season.
• One of Saint Joseph's wins this season was an impressive road triumph at UConn, which beat Florida.
• Two of Towson's four losses were to Xavier and Florida, teams competing in the Gildan Charleston Classic championship.
• The Tigers have won five of their last seven contests, including both this season, against Atlantic 10 programs.

 
Up Next

• Towson visits Cornell on Sunday, Dec. 1 for a 4 p.m. tip-off.