Throughout the next two months, we'll offer periodic reviews of Towson's first NCAA Tournament team as we prepare to honor and recognize the 30^th anniversary of this outstanding achievement on Thursday, Jan. 30. This is the second of a series of reflections and memories from that special season.

Towson's road to its first NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament appearance was a long one, literally, and included a grueling early season slate that kept the Tigers away from the comfort of their Towson Center court for 50 days, the longest home absence in program history.
 
That 1989-90 Tiger squad will be recognized on the 30th anniversary of its accomplishment this January 30th when Towson hosts UNCW in a Colonial Athletic Association game.
 
Those 1989-90 Tigers opened the season in the Towson Center with an 83-64 win over Howard on November 28th. They wouldn't return to their home court until January 17th, facing 12 different opponents in eight states.
 
They managed to compile a 5-7 record during the odyssey that included a Baltimore Beltway Classic championship, a sweep of four area rivals and a stop in the Carrier Dome to visit top-ranked Syracuse.
 
The journey began on a positive note as the Tigers beat up on Division III Gettysburg, 102-66, a score that would prove to be their largest victory margin of the season. Next up was a first-ever visit to the Dean Dome where North Carolina handed Towson its first loss, 87-70. The game was arranged between the Tar Heels' legendary Dean Smith and Tiger head coach Terry Truax who had served as an assistant to Smith in 1970.
 
Three days later the Tigers found themselves in Annapolis where they outlasted Navy 73-70. Two other area rivals would go down in the ensuing days. The Tigers beat UMBC 100-97 in a double overtime thriller before dispatching tourney host Mt. St. Mary's 81-68 to claim the Beltway Classic title.
 
Seniors Kurk Lee, Kelly Williamson and Kennell Jones were spectacular in the tournament. Before fouling out against UMBC, Lee, the tournament MVP, scored 44 points, the second highest single game total in Tiger Basketball history. Williamson, who netted a career high 24 points, picked up the slack, scoring two clutch baskets in the final 1:40 to seal the win against the Retrievers. Jones showed the way in the championship, putting up a career high 20 points and grabbing a game high 10 rebounds.
 
Syracuse didn't think too much of Towson's 5-1 record. The number one ranked Orangemen hammered out a 105-75 win. Two nights later the Tigers suffered their second straight loss, dropping a 95-75 verdict to homestanding St. Francis of Pa.
 
Towson returned to more familiar territory for their 8th straight road game, finding the victory column for the sixth time with an 87-79 win at Charles Street rival Loyola. Lee led all scorers with 29 points, scoring the 1,000th point of his career at Towson in just his 38th game in a Tiger uniform.
 
The day after Christmas the Tigers embarked on their longest road trip in program history. Leaving the day after Christmas they would not return to the Free State until January 4th.

First stop – Seattle where Towson met the Washington Huskies in Hec Edmundson Pavilion. The Tigers overcame questionable officiating, playing the Huskies to a 65-65 tie with 2:15 to play. The Huskies' last eight points, however, were scored from the free throw line in their 73-68 win. The Tigers shot a season high 55 percent from the field but couldn't overcome the whistle blowers.
 
Second stop – Albuquerque where the Tigers tangled with the New Mexico Lobos in The Pit. Led by 7-2 Luc Longley's 31 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks, New Mexico beat the Tigers by a deceptive 96-68. Towson led 41-38 at halftime before running out of gas in the final 20 minutes when the Lobos outscored the visitors 58-27.
 
Third Stop – Nestled on a hillside along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Pepperdine supplied the competition on the West Coast finale. The Wave shot 64 percent from the floor and never trailed in a 91-79 victory.
 
Towson's long journey came to an end in Lawrenceville, N.J. where the Tigers dropped an 83-82 overtime decision to Rider in their East Coast Conference opener. A questionable three-point bucket with 16 seconds remaining gave the Broncs the win.
 
Thankful to be back on campus, the Tigers celebrated their homecoming with a convincing 98-79 win over Drexel on January 17th. Towson would complete the 1989-90 home portion of its schedule with an impressive 11-1 record that would eventually include an ECC Tournament championship, earning the Tigers their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.