PHILADELPHIA – The Towson University men's basketball team engaged in a back-and-forth contest to begin Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play on Monday night, narrowly falling late to Drexel 65-61.
 
Towson (9-5, 0-1 CAA) played in a game at Drexel (6-5, 1-0 CAA) that saw nine lead changes and 10 tie scores.  Towson led late 61-60 into the final 10 seconds, but the Dragons got late free throws to get the victory.
 
Despite Towson's loss, Terry Nolan Jr. scored his 1,000^th career point in the contest.
 
Key Stats:

• Towson outrebounded Drexel in the game 39-29 and had a 42-20 advantage in points in the paint.
• Charles Thompson led all players in scoring with 18, going 8-for-12 from the field, adding six rebounds and two blocks.  Terry Nolan Jr. notched 14 points with four assists and three steals while Cam Holden concluded with 14 points and five rebounds.
• For Drexel, Mate Okros was 5-for-6 from three, getting 15 points and five boards.  Camren Wynter tallied up 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

How It Happened:

• Each side scored on their opening possessions, then the defenses held down for over two minutes.  Drexel added a free throw for an early 4-2 lead just over 3:50 into the contest.
• Towson found chances down low as Charles Thompson kept getting looks at the basket.  Earning Towson's first eight points, Thompson helped the Tigers keep pace as both sides went back and forth.  Towson took the lead on a steal and score from Terry Nolan Jr. to lead 13-12 with 8:24 left in the 1^st half.
• The coming and going continued as Towson kept looking for points in the paint while Drexel went for shots from the outside.  Nolan had a couple of baskets to return Towson to the lead, then with 6:19 to go in the first, Xavier Bell hit a three from the wing to push the home team up 20-17.
• Towson pushed back with jumpers to get a tie score at 22, then two more threes from Mate Okros built Drexel's lead to six.  Baskets from Cam Holden, Jason Gibson and a last one from Thompson at the buzzer tied the score at 29 at the break.
• Drexel began the second half on a 7-0 run, started by four straight points from Camren Wynter.  Towson kept to the gameplan with driving layups, chipping away at the new deficit.  Physical layups by Juwan Gray and Thompson got Towson to within four at 39-35, 15:27 to play.
• Minutes later with a six-point Drexel lead, Towson kept powering into the paint.  Following a Thompson layup, Chase Paar grabbed a missed three and put it back.
• The run continued to build as Nicolas Timberlake knocked down a couple of free throws to tie the game, then a minute later, Holden knocked down a long two to send Towson ahead.  Off a fast break, Nolan Jr. buried the corner three to make the run 11-0 and give Towson a 48-43 advantage with 8:56 left to play.
• Drexel got the game back to a tie as the threes started the rain down in the DAC.  Timberlake hit a wing three, countered by an Okros corner three.  Towson got back in the lead off a free throw, but a Wynter three, and later a jumper, sent the Dragons up 58-54, 3:15 to go.
• Towson got back in front with aggressive play towards the basket, having a Thompson layup and a couple of Timberlake free throws.  With 1:44 left, Nolan Jr. knocked down the wing three to complete a 7-0 Towson run and put the Tigers up 61-60.
• Towson held on defense and ran down the clock, but Drexel got back the ball and drew a foul with eight seconds remaining.  Tre Brown hit both free throws to put the home team ahead.  Towson got down the court as a Nolan shot came up short.  Drexel rebounded and hit free throws in the final second to seal the game.  Towson fell 65-61.

Inside the Numbers

• Terry Nolan Jr. stands with 1,001 career points, including 158 thus far this Towson season.  He scored 236 points during the 2020-21 season with Bradley and a combined 607 points with George Washington from 2017-19.
• This is the first time this season where Charles Thompson has led Towson in scoring.
• Towson's defeat snapped a three-game winning streak.

Next Game:

• Towson stays on the road to take on rival Delaware on Wednesday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. in Newark.  The game will be broadcast on FloSports.

- TowsonTigers.com –