FAIRFAX, Va. – The Towson University men's basketball team kept close in the second half and made a couple of final pushes in the closing minutes against its former conference rival, but came up short in a 70-65 defeat at George Mason.
 
Towson outscored George Mason in the second half, earning 41 points against its Atlantic-10 opponent, but the Tigers could not overcome its early first half deficit.
 
Records:

• Towson – 0-4
• George Mason – 4-1

• Juwan Gray and Nicolas Timberlake each had 14 points to lead Towson, with the former going 5-for-8 from the field.  Solomon Uyaelunmo tied a career-high in rebounds with nine, adding seven points.
• All 10 Tigers who appeared in the game scored points, with nine making at least one field goal.
• It was a close battle on the boards with George Mason getting a narrow 41-40 rebounding advantage.
• Josh Oduro nearly had a double-double for George Mason with 19 points and eight rebounds while Javon Greene finished with 13 points.

• Early on, Towson looked to attack the paint, with a Charles Thompson hook shot near the baseline giving Towson the early 2-0 advantage in the opening three minutes.
• George Mason was trying to push in transition, eventually seeing dividends off passing from Tyler Kolek.  A 7-0 run by the Patriots built a 9-4 lead with 14:07 left in the first.
• Towson's defense stepped up, not allowing points for over almost four minutes.  Juwan Gray converted a tough one-hand floater while fouled, adding the free throw to pull Towson within one at 9-8.
• The home team kept up its attack from three, keeping up the lead with long range baskets from AJ Wilson and Javon Greene.  On its own fast break, Towson saw Zane Martin hit a three from five feet behind the line to get Towson within a possession at 23-20, five minutes remaining in the half.
• After a Jamal Hartwell II three, Towson got some late free throws and held George Mason without a field goal in the final three minutes of the half, but trailed 30-24 at the break.
• Towson looked to attack the paint in the early going of the second, drawing fouls and getting to the line.  Another one-hand floater from Thompson got Towson within one possession.  The Patriots countered with three straight Josh Oduro layups to go up 39-30 three minutes into the period.
• After a few traded baskets, Nicolas Timberlake hit a couple of free throws, then sprinted on a fast break for a runner in the paint, again bringing Towson within a point at 42-41 with 12:19 to play.
• The home team's three-point shooting kept the Patriots ahead as makes from Hartwell II rebuilt the advantage to six.  Later, a second-chance layup from Greg Calixte put the score at 55-48 at the under-eight mark.
• A three from the wing by Timberlake got Towson back within five, but George Mason got its lead to 10 after an Oduro layup.  Towson had a final push with a catch-and-shoot three and second chance layup by Thompson to get within five in the final two minutes.  Towson made a final push to again get within five, but fell 70-65.

• This is Juwan Gray's first double-digit scoring game since Jan 30, 2020, when he had 10 points vs. UNCW.  It is also the first time he led the Tigers in scoring since Nov. 24 with 14 points vs. St. Joseph's.
• The defeat broke a three-game winning streak for Towson against George Mason.
• Towson had its top-defensive performance of the season with 70 points allowed in its first game played since Nov. 27.
• Zane Martin, with 11 points, scored in double digits for his third straight game.
• Solomon Uyaelunmo led Towson in rebounding for the first time this season.  His brother, Victor, led the Tigers in boards in each of the first three games.

Next Game:
Towson has its home opener on Saturday, Dec. 26 at 2 p.m., hosting Baltimore rival Coppin State at SECU.  Virtual season tickets are available now, get your personalized fan cutout today: contact Joshua Behringer at 410-704-3330 or jbehringer@towson.edu.
 
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