CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Towson University men's basketball team put together a valiant comeback effort in the second half on the road, using a 23-9 run to pull within one possession late, but came up short in a 66-53 defeat at Charleston. 
 
Using defense and play in the paint, Towson's 23-9 run brought the Tigers within three with nine minutes left, but Charleston stayed ahead and held for the victory.
 
Records:

• Towson: 3-12, 2-8 CAA
• Charleston: 7-8, 5-3 CAA

Key Stats:

• Charles Thompson earned a double-double off 11 points and 10 rebounds, adding three blocks.  Nicolas Timberlake led Towson in scoring with 13 points plus two steals while Zane Martin finished with 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.
• Towson won the battle in paint with 24 points to Charleston's 16 plus had 14 second chance points to its opponent's six.
• As a team, Charleston shot 8-for-13 from three-point range.  Zep Jasper tallied 17 points and seven boards while Cameron Copeland had 14 points and six rebounds off the bench. 

How it Happened:

• Towson started out strong with scores, all on layups: Nicolas Timberlake on the catch and shoot, Charles Thompson powering in the lane and Zane Martin driving to the basket.  Towson led 6-0 after two minutes.
• Charleston at first went to the perimeter, making its first two three-point shots while playing high-paced.  A 13-2 run by the home team gave the Cougars the advantage 13-8 through seven minutes.
• Thompson ended the Charleston run with a jumper as Towson continued its attack in the paint.  Charleston also got space in the paint, leading to a 14-2 run and a Charleston 27-12 lead.
• A deep three from Jason Gibson stopped the newest Charleston run.  Towson tried to chip away, using Jakigh Dottin free throws and layups from Martin and Demetrius Mims, but Towson trailed 36-21 at the break.
• Into the second half, Towson got a bit more open space, seeing Thompson and Timberlake hit tough jumpers in the opening minutes.  As the defense held Charleston in check, back-to-back scores from Mims and Chris Biekeu brought Towson within 11 and 40-29.
• Towson's defense and fast break attack got the Tigers back into the game.  Beginning with a Cam Allen deep three, Towson went on a 9-2 run, capped by two fast break attack and layups from Martin and Timberlake, to pull the visitors within six at 44-38 Charleston with 11:23 left to play.
• Towson continued to set up offensive quickly to take advantage of Charleston not being set.  Allen grabbed a rebound and sprinted down, kicked out to Timberlake for a three, then Martin drove for a layup to get Towson within three at 47-44 with 9:02 to play.
• Despite later free throws from Thompson, Charleston rebuilt the lead to 14 over the next seven minutes.  More late points by Towson were not enough as Charleston got the win 66-53.

Inside the Numbers:

• Thompson earned his second career double-double, his first coming on Dec. 26, 2020 vs. Coppin State.
• Zane Martin and Nicolas Timberlake have earned double figure scoring games 11 times this year.
• As a team, Towson had nine steals, tying a season-high for a single game.

Next Game:
Towson returns to SECU Arena for a twinbill against Northeastern, beginning on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 1 p.m.  Virtual season tickets are available now; get your personalized fan cutout today!  Contact Joshua Behringer at 410-704-3330 or jbehringer@towson.edu.
 
- TowsonTigers.com –