The Game: Towson (2-2, 0-0 CAA) vs. Penn (3-4, 0-0 Ivy League)
When: Tuesday, Nov. 23 – 2 p.m.
Where: SECU Arena – Towson, Md.
Online Broadcast: FloSports ($)
Radio/Online Broadcast: Towsontigers.com
----Broadcasters: Spiro Morekas, Chuck Lightening
Series: Penn leads 2-1
 
TOWSON, Md. – Before the Tigers head to Las Vegas, the Towson University men's basketball team comes back to SECU Arena for a Tuesday, Nov. 23 matinee against the University of Pennsylvania at 2 p.m.
 
2021-22 men's basketball season tickets and single game tickets are on sale.  For more information, interested parties may contact the Towson Athletics ticket office by visiting www.towsontigers.com, calling 1-855-TU-TIGER or emailing dkogok@towson.edu.
 
This game will feature a Food Drive.  We will be accepting canned and boxed food donations at the door to help out the local community.
 
This game is the first of two basketball contests which will be played at SECU on Nov. 23.  The women's basketball team tips off vs. Millersville at 7 p.m.
 
The game will be broadcast online on FloSports, with Spiro Morekas and Chuck Lightening on the call.  Visit FloSports.tv/CAA to view the full Colonial Athletic Association schedule and sign up today. Morekas and Lightening will also have the radio call on Towsontigers.com.
 
This game will be the first of three contests in a span of four days as Towson will play on each Nov. 25 and Nov. 26 out in Las Vegas.
 
Towson, Colonial Athletic Association member, narrowly fell on the road to ACC member Pittsburgh 63-59 on Friday night to return to SECU at 2-2.  From the Ivy League, Penn just wrapped up the Myrtle Beach Invitational in South Carolina with a 71-63 victory vs. Old Dominion in the seventh place game to stand at 3-4 overall.
 
This is just the fourth all-time meeting between Towson and Penn and just the second since 1996.  Penn won each meeting in the 90s: 67-61 in Towson on Dec. 6, 1995 and 80-74 in Philadelphia on Dec. 3, 1996.  They met in the Florida Gulf Coast Showcase on Nov. 21, 2017 with Towson winning 79-71, including Mike Morsell scoring 18 points.
 
THOMPSON - 2020-21 CAA ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Charles Thompson was selected to the 2020-21 CAA All-Defensive Team last year, making it the third year in a row where Towson had a representative on the CAA All-Defensive Team.
 
Thompson finished second in the CAA in total blocks with 28, including 26 against league competition, the best mark in league-only play.  He also finished eighth in the league with 6.4 rebounds a contest.
 
Dennis Tunstall '20 was on the CAA All-Defensive Team for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
   
TOWSON PREDICTED TO FINISH EIGHTH IN CAA
Towson was predicted to get eighth in the CAA in the league's preseason poll, voted on by the conference's head coaches, SIDs and media.
 
This past year, Towson finished the year at 4-14 overall and 3-9 in the CAA, plus had three pauses due to COVID-19.
 
Delaware is predicted to finish first in the preseason poll with 19 out of 36 possible first-place votes, followed by Northeastern at second with seven.  Reigning league champion Drexel is third followed by James Madison, Hofstra, Elon, Charleston, Towson, UNCW and William & Mary.
 
SKERRY APPROACHING 150 WINS AT TOWSON
Pat Skerry, who is in his 11th season at the helm of the Tigers, is approaching his 150th victory as the team's head coach.
 
Currently, Skerry has amassed 149 victories at Towson, including six years of at least 18 wins since the 2012-13 season.
 
Skerry is looking to be the third Towson men's basketball head coach with over 150 wins.  Vince Angotti won 229 games as Towson's head coach from 1966-83 while Terry Truax notched 202 wins with the Tigers from 1983-97.  Skerry is also the third longest-tenured coach in Towson history.
 
Including two seasons leading Curry from 1996-98, Skerry has 171 wins as a head coach.  His teams have won double digit victories in 11 out of 13 seasons as a head coach.
 
In June, Skerry served as a court coach for the 2021 USA Basketball Men's U19 World Cup training camp on the campus of Texas Christian University (TCU).  He was one of three coaches across the country selected for this role, working with some of the top up-and-coming talent in the country.  That team went on to win the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup in July.
 
REPPING THE HOME STATE
Towson's represents its home of the Old Line State well, having eight players from Maryland on the roster.
 
Baltimore-native Terry Nolan Jr. is back home after graduating from Bradley, having spent two years with the Braves and two more at George Washington.
 
From Severna Park comes Jason Gibson, who earned All-CAA Rookie Team honors in 2019-20.  Charles Thompson, from Fort Washington, earned a spot on the CAA All-Defensive Team last season.  Joining the team is Mount Airy-native Chase Paar after two years at George Washington.
 
Five more Tigers call Maryland home: Chris Caliguiran from Accokeek, Brandon Held from Marriottsville, Curtis Holland III from Churchton and two Bowie natives: Olugbemi Joseph and Justin Patterson.
 
TU.....TRANSFER U.....
    Towson has six players who have come to Towson from other NCAA Division I programs.
--#0 Antonio Rizzuto, transfer from UAlbany (2018-21)
--#1 Terry Nolan Jr., transfer from Bradley (2019-21) and GW (2017-19)
--#5 Curtis Holland III, transfer from High Point (2018-20)
--#12 Juwan Gray, transfer from San Diego (2016-18)
--#13 Chase Paar, transfer from GW (2019-21)
--#55 Cam Holden, transfer from UT Martin (2020-21)
 
......BIG TIME TRANSFERS
Three of Towson's incoming transfers earned a league award with their respective teams last season.
 
Cam Holden was the second-ever UT Martin player to earn all-league honors, being Second Team All-OVC with 14.9 points and 8.3 rebounds a contest.
 
Antonio Rizzuto was Second Team All-America East last year at UAlbany with 12.5 points a game in 2020-21.
 
Terry Nolan Jr. picked up an MVC Scholar-Athlete Team selection with 11.2 points and 3.3 assists a game last year.
 
RETURNING THREE STARTERS.....
Three players who were primary starters during the 2020-21 campaign are back to help bolster the ranks.
 
Nicolas Timberlake, the 2019-20 CAA Sixth Man of the Year, averaged 12.1 points per game and led the team with 31 three-point field goals, scoring in double digits in 13 of 18 games played.  Timberlake is the only Tiger to have started all 18 games last year.
 
Jason Gibson, a member of the 2019-20 CAA All-Rookie Team, leads all Towson returners in assists with 28, averaging 9.6 points per game.  He has 96 assists in his collegiate career.
 
Charles Thompson, named to the 2020-21 CAA All-Defensive Team, was Towson leader in rebounds with 116, averaging 6.4 a game, blocks with 28 and steals with 17.  He also shot 55% from the floor for 9.1 points a contest.
 
Juwan Gray was a starter and team captain before his injury after five games.  Including time at San Diego, Gray has 629 career points and 410 careers rebounds.
 
SECU ARENA - TRUE HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Since SECU Arena opened in 2013, Towson has defended home court well with a 71-38 record in home games.
 
Of the first eight years, Towson has won at least two-thirds of its home games in five seasons. The 2013-14, the opening year of SECU, Towson went 15-1.
 
NATIONALLY TELEVISED TIGERS
Towson will have several opportunities to shine on the national stage this year with multiple appearances on national television.
--Nov. 19, 6 p.m. at Pittsburgh - ACC Network
--Nov. 25, 9:30 p.m. vs. San Francisco - FS1
--Nov. 26, 2nd game Vegas Invitational - FS1/FS2
--Dec. 8, 9 p.m. at Ohio State - ESPNU
--Jan. 3, 8 p.m. at Drexel - CBS Sports Network
--Jan. 11, 5 p.m. vs. Hofstra - CBS Sports Network
 
In addition, Towson may have other chances to be on the CBS Sports Network as part of the CAA TV package with the channel.  Other CAA regular season games plus the CAA Tournament semifinal and championship contests will air nationally.
 
ALUMNI PLAYING IN THE PROS
Towson currently has several alumni playing in the professional ranks across the world.
 
Mike Morsell signed a contract with the Memphis Hustle in the NBA G League before the 2021-22 season.
 
Dennis Tunstall '20, who signed with Basketball Academic Limburg in the Netherlands for the 2021-22 campaign.  Brian Fobbs '20 got his first professional contract for the 2021-22 season, going to Finland to play for the Vilpas Vikings.  Zane Martin and Alex Gavrilovic are playing in Sweden and Romania respectively.
 
Several of Towson players under Skerry have played professionally.  Signing contracts since 2020 include Tunstall, Nakye Sanders, Brian Fobbs, Alex Gavrilovic, Zane Martin, Timajh Parker-Rivera, Arnaud William Adala Moto and Brian Starr.  Many other players under Skerry have played professionally: Jerrelle Benimon, Mike Burwell, Marcus Damas, John Davis, Bilal Dixon, Four McGlynn and Mike Morsell.
 
CHANGES TO THE COACHING STAFF
11th-year head coach Pat Skerry announced a couple of changes on his coaching staff this season.  Pat O'Connell has been elevated to associate head coach in his sixth year with the program while Parfait Bitee, also in year six with Towson, moves up from director of player development to assistant coach.  Chris Conway joins the team as the new director of player development from Millersville.
 
Returning as well for the 2021-22 season is associate head coach Kevin Clark for his 11th year and director of operations Jordan Malkin for his second season.
 
Skerry, in year 11 with Towson, is the second-longest tenured coach among current CAA head coaches, only behind Bill Cohn of Northeastern, who is in his 16th year with the Huskies.
 
THANKSGIVING RE-RUN
Last season, Towson played San Francisco on Thanksgiving in the Mohegan Sun Bubbleville.  This year on Thanksgiving, Towson again will play San Francisco, this time in the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.  The game will be televised nationally on FS1.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
Penn has two players who average over 11 points a game: sophomore guard Jordan Dingle earns 19.4 points a game, adding 25 total assists, while junior guard gets 11.6 points a game, hitting 23 three-point field goals thus far.  No Penn player averages more than five rebounds a game.
 
CAM OFF TO A STRONG START
In his first year with the program after transferring from UT Martin, Cam Holden is having a very strong start.
 
Earning two double-doubles this year, Holden thus far is averaging 17.0 points and 9.8 rebounds a contest through the opening four games, each team-highs.  He is 38th in Division I in rebounds per contest.

ALL HOME GAMES TO AIR ON FLOSPORTS
For the 2021-22 season, all Towson men's and women's basketball home games will be broadcast online on FloSports, the exclusive online broadcast partner of the Colonial Athletic Association. Nearly all CAA conference games will be broadcast on FloSports.
 
Spiro Morekas, the voice of the Towson Tigers, is in his 31st season calling games for the men's basketball team.
 
FOUR TIGERS EARN CAA ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL
Four Towson men's basketball players were selected to the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll for Spring 2021 for maintaining a 3.0 GPA through that semester.
 
Chris Biekeu, Chris Caliguiran, Jason Gibson and Justin Patterson all earned this honor after the Spring 2021 semester.