TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University men's basketball team shot over 55% from three-point range to earn a victory over the reigning Southern Conference champion UNC Greensboro 74-64.
Towson (8-4) led against UNCG (7-4) nearly the entire game, having a 26-23 board edge against the sixth-ranked rebounding team in the country. The Tigers had a double-digit lead nearly the entire second half for its fifth victory in the last six games.
Key Stats:
- Towson had a strong passing game, earning 17 assists on 24 made baskets. Towson scored 30 of its 74 points from beyond the arc, helping counter the UNCG 36-22 edge in the paint.
- Terry Nolan Jr. led Towson with 19 points, seven assists and two steals, all team highs. Nicolas Timberlake had 14 points, adding four assists and two steals while Cam Holden led all players with 10 rebounds, adding three assists.
- For UNCG, De'Monte Buckingham was 7-for-10 from the field with 20 points and eight rebounds. Khyre Thompson was 6-for-7 on field goals for 14 points.
How It Happened:
- Early in the game, Towson looked for outside shots while UNCG focused most of its efforts into the paint. Towson's early chances from deep paid off, with Terry Nolan Jr. and Antonio Rizzuto hitting shots from the corners to give Towson an early 8-4 lead minutes in.
- Both sides played methodical offense early, which led to a period of both sides not scoring for a span of 3:33 midway in the first. At 16-13 Towson, a three-pointer in the corner from Juwan Gray and a layup from Charles Thompson pushed the Tigers up eight with 8:51 left in the first.
- UNCG got a pair of baskets to pull within four. Towson responded by not allowing points for over three minutes, going on an 8-0 run, sandwiched by threes from Nicolas Timberlake and Jason Gibson, to lead 29-17.
- Towson's offense continued to find space against UNCG, using another three as the Tigers built the lead to 18. A late push by UNCF with six points in the final two minutes of the half made it 39-27 Towson at the break.
- Into the second half, Towson started to attack the paint, getting three straight baskets close to get its lead up to 16. Then the perimeter lit up, with each side exchanging a pair for three. Timberlake buried a driving layup to send Towson up 53-35 with 14:22 to play.
- Towson kept its strong lead, going back-and-forth with the Spartans as the Tigers would push into the paint and continue to score. Thompson and Nolan led the way by attacking down low to keep Towson's lead at 18 as the Tigers led 65-47 with 5:31 left.
- UNCG made a late push in the game, using a couple of late threes by De'Monte Buckingham getting the Spartans within eight with 22 seconds left. Towson held and got the double digit victory 74-64.
Inside the Numbers
- Towson has earned at least 10 three-point field goals in each of the last four contests, combining for 50 in those games.
- Terry Nolan Jr. earned his 50th career game in double digit scoring tonight, including his eighth with Towson. Nicolas Timberlake notched his 31st career double digit scoring game, all with the Tigers.
Next Game:
- Towson will have eight days until its next game when the Tigers take on Navy on Wednesday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m. in Annapolis.
