ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Towson University men's basketball team earned one of its strongest victories of the season, using 24 points from Nicolas Timberlake to seize a 69-52 victory over Navy on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Towson (9-4) and Navy (7-4) came into this game as the highest teams in the NCAA NET rankings, with Towson at 79 and Navy at 66.
 
Tied 14-14 in the middle of the first half, Towson finished the period on a 26-11 run en route to the victory, led by Timberlake's third 20+ point game of the season.  Towson held Navy to 33.3% shooting from the field, including 2-for-16 (12.5%) from three-point range, earning its top scoring defensive effort of the season.
 
Key Stats:

• Towson led for 39:11 in the game, with just one tie score after the opening tip.
• Nicolas Timberlake was 9-for-12 from the field, including 5-for-6 from three-point range, for 24 points, adding three assists.  Charles Thompson earned Towson first five-block game of the season, nearly having a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds.
• Cam Holden also nearly had a double-double off eight points, eight boards and a pair of assists.  Terry Nolan Jr. tallied up five points, eight assists, two steals and no turnovers.
• For Navy, Greg Summers picked up a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.  The team's leading scorer was Jaylen Walker, who finished with 13, going 6-for-9 from the field.

How It Happened:

• Towson's strong rebounding and pressure defense kept Navy off the scoreboard in the opening 3:18 of the game.  Nicolas Timberlake got open looks and knocked down the first three shots of the game to send Towson to a 7-0 advantage early.  After Navy scored its first basket, Antonio Rizzuto hit the corner three for a 10-2 Towson lead four minutes in.
• Navy looked to power its way into the paint, leading to a couple of layups on drives to cut into the lead.  At 12-6 Towson, Jaylen Walker hit a baseline jumper, then later, a top-of-the-arc three to make it 14-11 Towson, 12:34 left in the 1^st.
• Navy tied the game up at 14 mid-way through the first.  Towson responded with a 9-0 run in a span of less than a minute, sparked by a Rizzuto three and assisted by two jumpers from Terry Nolan Jr., to surge ahead 23-14 with 9:02 left in the 1^st.
• The physical play picked up by both sides as each team kept up the pressure.  Navy pulled to within four at the 7:07 mark, then again Towson attacked and earned a 7-0 run.  Five points in the run by Cam Holden, capped by a floater from 10 feet out, got Towson up 30-19 with 4:49 remaining in the 1^st.
• Towson continued to attack and found success on fast breaks.  With more late layups, Towson got the lead to 15 at the break, being up 40-25.
• The Towson defense picked up right where it left off into the second half, forcing turnovers and holding off Navy in the opening 2:52.  A pair of Charles Thompson free throws built the lead to 17 after Towson's opening possession of the second half.
• Navy started to chip away, getting space in the paint for layups as Towson countered with outside shooting from the corner.  The Mids got the deficit down to 11, then an in-bounds three by Timberlake returned Towson's lead to 14 at 51-37, 9:22 to play.
• Again Navy pushed its way into the paint and got points underneath, getting into single digits with free throws with eight minutes left.  Next possession, Jason Gibson hit the three from the corner to get Towson back up by 12, 54-42 Tigers, with 7:42 left.
• Back and forth the teams went to trade points, with Towson countering everything Navy was throwing at it to keep a strong lead.  At 59-47, a three from deep at the edge of the shot clock by Timberlake returned the lead to 15.  Adding a free throw, Towson led 63-47 with 3:08 remaining.
• Towson defense held strong the rest of the way, with another Timberlake deep three essentially finishing the contest.  Towson earned the 69-52 victory.

Inside the Numbers

• Nicolas Timberlake formerly had over 20 points on Nov. 26 vs. New Mexico (25) and vs. Kent State (22) on Dec. 6.
• Charles Thompson earns the first five-block game for Towson since he himself earned seven blocks vs. William & Mary on Jan. 31, 2021.
• Terry Nolan Jr. has had at least five assists in nine of 13 games this season.  On the year, he has 58 assists and 21 turnovers for a 2.76 assist/turnover ratio.
• Before this game, Towson's top defensive effort of the year was the team's 78-54 victory over Hampton.

Next Game:

• Towson will break for the holidays, beginning conference play on Friday, Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. vs. James Madison.

- TowsonTigers.com –