TOWSON, Md. – Seeing five Tigers net double digit points, the Towson University men's basketball team earned its first victory in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play with a 70-67 win vs. Northeastern.
 
Towson (10-5, 1-1 CAA), which led by nine at the break, led for nearly 33 minutes in the game, being up by as much as 15 in the latter part of the second half with strong paint play and +5 rebounding edge. Northeastern (6-8, 0-3 CAA) chipped away and got to within single digits in the final minutes, but the Towson defense held for the win.
 
Key Stats:

• Towson outrebounded Northeastern 35-30 and earned 34 points in the paint to NU's 26.
• Cam Holden earned his sixth double-double of the season, leading Towson in each scoring with 18 points and rebounding with 10 boards, being 8-for-16 from the field.
• Charles Thompson tallied up 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals while Juwan Gray earned 12 points, tying his season-high off 4-for-5 shooting, and seven rebounds.
• For Northeastern, Nikola Djogo finished with 17 points and four rebounds while Jahmyl Telfort got 14 points, three rebounds and two steals.

How It Happened:

• Towson knocked down its shots on the opening two possessions, started by a wide-open Nicolas Timberlake three from the corner.  Northeastern was looking early at mid-range jumpers, hitting a pair in a row to take an early 6-5 advantage a couple of minutes in.
• Aggressive driving to the basket got Towson to surge ahead off a jumper from Antonio Rizzuto and a long three from Jason Gibson.  Later, Juwan Gray got fouled on a drive and hit two free throws, then knocked down a corner three to give Towson a 16-7 advantage with 11:42 left in the 1^st.
• With just over 10 minutes to go in the first, Northeastern's outside shooting drew results with an 11-0 run, beginning with and ending on three-point field goals to take a 22-19 lead, 7:20 left in the half.
• A Rizzuto three off a screen ended Northeastern's run and tied the score up.  Then, Towson took the lead as Cam Holden sprinted down the court and hit the layup while fouled in transition for a 24-22 Towson lead, 5:30 to play in the first.
• At 24-24, Towson finished strong, with Charles Thompson leading the way on power in the paint.  A couple of hook shots from him, adding a couple of free throws late, allowed the Tigers to lead 37-28 at the half.  Towson ended the period on a 10-2 run.
• Towson continued to push into the paint into the second half while Northeastern's strategy remaining primarily shooting from outside.  Out of the locker room, NU got an 11-2 run to tie the game at 39.
• Towson turned to Holden to get back ahead.  The UT Martin transfer hit a short jumper then a layup off a rebound to get Towson up, then Juwan Gray ran from the corner towards the paint for the layup to make it 45-39 Tigers with 13 minutes to go.
• Northeastern got to within three, then Towson's defense started to lock down the Huskies.  At 49-44, the Tigers raced forward with a 15-5 sprint, including points from five different Towson players, to get a 64-49 advantage with 7:17 left to play.
• Northeastern started to chip away, getting to within single digits with under five minutes left.  Towson held on some defensive possessions, but the Huskies got to within six at 66-60 with 2:15 to play.
• Holden notched a big layup with 1:40 remaining to get Towson back up by eight.  Though the Huskies got a bit closer, some late Gibson free throws helped seal the game as the Tigers won 70-67.

Inside the Numbers

• Towson has outrebounded its opponent in 11 of 15 games so far this season.
• Cam Holden now has 12 career double-doubles, including six at Towson and six at UT Martin.
• Charles Thompson has scored in double digits each of the last five games.
• Juwan Gray tied his season-high of 12 points from Nov. 13 vs. Monmouth.

Next Game:

• Towson returns to SECU on Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 5 p.m. to take on Hofstra.  For more information, interested parties may contact the Towson Athletics ticket office by visiting www.towsontigers.com, calling 1-855-TU-TIGER or emailing dkogok@towson.edu.

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