PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Towson men's basketball fended off a late comeback from the Quakers for an 80-74 win on Sunday night. The win propelled Towson to their first 3-0 start since the 2013-14 season.

Towson (3-0) led by as many as 21 midway through the second half before Penn (0-3) rallied to within six late, but late free throws down the stretch gave Towson the win on Sunday.

Nicolas Timberlake had his second straight 20-point game, scoring 23 points to lead the Tigers.

Key Stats:

• Nicolas Timberlake led four in double figures with 23 points. He added five rebounds in the win.
• Cam Holden added 17 points with Jason Gibson adding 11 points and Charles Thompson scoring 14 with eight rebounds.
• Towson outrebounded the Quakers 36-30 and scored 12 second chance points.

How It Happened:

• Both teams came out of the gate on fire with each connecting on a pair of threes during the first couple possessions.
• Jason Gibson would provide early offense, connecting on a pair of triples, part of his 11 first half points.
• However just minutes later both would struggle from the floor, each having a drought of over four minutes.
• Towson would break out of their drought after a beautiful pick and roll with Gibson and Charles Thompson that ended in a Thompson bucket.
• That sparked a 10-0 run over six minutes that gave the Tigers a double-digit lead that they would take into the break, 34-24. Towson held the Quakers to just 29 percent shooting in the half.
• Towson started the second half the way they ended the first. Nygal Russell hit a corner three just before the under 12 timeout to give Towson a 14 point lead, their largest of the game to that point.
• That sparked a 12-1 run for the Tigers, capped by a Timberlake triple.
• Penn quickly answered with an 11-0 run of their own to cut the Tiger lead to ten, but Nicolas Timberlake ended the spurt with a steal and slam.
• Penn continued to battle back, cutting the deficit to 73-68 with just 30 seconds left.
• Towson would hit free throws down the stretch to preserve an 80-74 win against the Quakers.

Inside The Numbers:

• This is the second straight 20-point performance for Nicolas Timberlake who is averaging 25.0 ppg over his last two.
• The Tigers are 3-0 for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
• Towson scored 80 points, their highest point total of the year after scoring 67 points the previous two games.

Next Game:
The Tigers will conclude their three-game road swing at UNCG on Thursday, Nov. 17. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.