BOX SCORE HARRISONBURG, Va. – The 9-seed Towson University men's basketball team entered the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament going up against the team with the longest current winning streak in the league, falling to 8-seed Elon 69-48 on Saturday.
The Tigers were down just six at the half, with the Phoenix breaking away early in the second period. Towson's 2020-21 season comes to a close with today's defeat while Elon advances to the CAA quarterfinal round.
Records:
Key Stats:
- Nicolas Timberlake led all scorers in the game with 14 points. Cam Allen had a season-high nine points, adding four rebounds, while Jakigh Dottin tallied up six points and three boards.
- For Elon, Hunter McIntosh had a team-high 13 points, adding three assists, while Darius Burford had 11 points and three rebounds
Postgame Quote:
Towson head coach
Pat Skerry: "Credit to Elon, we knew coming in they were the hottest team in the league. Their speed bothered us. Our guys have been really good handling this all year, it is not what they signed up for: three pauses, it is hard to get a rhythm going."
How it Happened:
- The game started out with strong defense from both sides as neither team scored in the opening 2:30. Jason Gibson drew a charge to stop one of Elon's possessions.
- Elon got a pair of baskets for five points to get on the board first. Towson looked to counter with shots in transition, seeing Gibson hit a layup on a drive through the paint and Cam Allen shake off a defender for a long two.
- At 7-6, Elon was relying on outside shooting, getting a 7-0 run to lead by eight. Solomon Uyaelunmo hit a tough hook shot, followed by a catch-and-shoot three by Nicolas Timberlake, to get Towson within three at 14-11 with 9:45 left in the first half.
- After two minutes of no scoring, a Kris Wooten three and Chuck Hannah layup induced a Towson timeout at 20-11. Shots by Timberlake and Jakigh Dottin kept Towson within a few possessions. Allen hit a drive to the basket with 1:07 to put the score at 30-24 Elon, the score at the break.
- Elon's pressure defense caused issues to Towson's offense, leading to the Phoenix building its lead to 11 three minutes into the half. Charles Thompson stopped the run with a second chance hook shot, but a trio of threes from Elon made it 46-28 Phoenix with 13:43 left to play.
- A layup and one from Allen on a tough runner and Chris Beikeu free throws helped try to bridge the gap, but Elon continued to build its lead through the second half. With 10:35 to go, Elon led 54-33.
- Towson could not chip away at the deficit as Elon's lead held strong. Darrick Jones Jr. had a strong drive to the basket for a layup and one as Towson got its deficit down to 20 with three minutes left. The Tigers got the rest of the bench in, with Chris Caliguiran getting late free throws. Elon took the win 69-48.
Inside the Numbers:
- TowsonTigers.com –
