PHOTO GALLERY  

Photos courtesy of Kenny Storck & Towson Athletics

TOWSON, Md. – Towson men's basketball recently had the opportunity to visit the Great White North on a seven-day trek to Canada, making stops in Toronto and Montreal. The Tigers were able to face great competition against local universities, sightsee and be able to bond as a team ahead of the 2023-24 season that kicks off on November 6 at Colorado.

DAY 1 – D.C. TRAVEL DAY
Towson kicked off its journey north with a flight out of Washington, D.C. into Toronto. However, before the Tigers boarded the plane on Wednesday night, the team was able to visit the National Museum of African American History & Culture in our nation's capital. The museum, which opened in 2016, is the only national museum devoted to documenting African American life, history and culture.



DAY 2 – TORONTO – CN TOWER/UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
The Tigers spent their first full day up north by visiting what once was the largest building in the world, the CN Tower. The 1,816-foot-tall tower was completed in 1976 and features panoramic views of Toronto. Several of the players were able to stand on glass panels that provided a view straight through to the ground below.



Following the trip above the city, the Tigers took on the University of Toronto in their first game of the tour. The Tigers would take an early lead before ripping off a 21-5 run to take control of the game. Christian May led the way with 15 points in a 90-58 win.

        

DAY 3 – TORONTO – TORONTO CITY TOUR/TORONTO METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
Day two began with the team taking a walking tour of the city of Toronto that included stops at Dundas Square, Old City Hall and the Toronto sign in Phillips Square before the guys had the chance to explore on their own.



Towson started out strong against the Bold and would end the first half on a 21-2 run to take a 46-27 lead at halftime. TMU would not go away, battling back before Christian May drilled a three to help Towson to an 80-67 win.

         

DAY 4 – TRAVEL DAY/RIVER RAPIDS/TEAM DINNER
Following a successful start to the tour, the Tigers embarked on the six-hour ride from Ontario to Quebec. The team reached Montreal later in the afternoon and had the opportunity to ride on a boat through the St. Lawrence River, but this was not any ordinary boat ride.

The Tigers got the chance to ride through the rapids deep in the river. With rapids ranging from level three to five, the team had a unique bonding experience that featured a lot of water and laughs.



Once everyone was dried off, the team went out for a team dinner at Baton Rouge Grillhouse. The menu that featured ribs, chicken, salad and soup was just what was needed after an afternoon on the water.

DAY 5 – MONTREAL – MONTREAL BUS TOUR/UNIVERSITY OF QUEBEC AT MONTREAL
Day five started with an afternoon matchup with the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) in downtown Montreal. The Tigers and Citadins battled for 40 minutes with neither team holding more than a five-point lead in the first half. Towson would trail 37-32 at halftime, needing a second half comeback.

Newcomer Tomiwa Sulaiman would give Towson the lead back with a turnaround layup in the lane early in the third quarter. UQAM would cut the lead to three, but a late Tiger charge, capped by a May corner three, propelled the Tigers to a 69-57 win.

         

Following the hard-fought win in the afternoon, the Tigers embarked on an open-air bus tour of Montreal. The team got the chance to see various sights such as Mount Royal Park, different buildings and even a view of Olympic Park where the 1976 summer Olympics were held.

         

DAY 6 – MONTREAL – FREE DAY/LAVAL
A night game allowed the team to have a free day in Montreal to explore the city during the day. The players were able to see different areas such as Old Montreal, Chinatown and the seaports on the edges of the island.

Towson got out to a fast start, taking a 10-2 run over the first five minutes of the game with Charles Thompson scoring four straight and Tyler Tejada scoring five on the run. Laval would fight back, cutting the Tiger lead to 35-29 at halftime. That would be as close as Laval would get with the Tigers ripping off a 14-0 run in the third to take a 20-point lead and go on to win 69-45.

Tyler Tejada led the way with 21 points with Thompson chipping in 19 in the win.

         

DAY 7 – MONTREAL – GAME VS. CONCORDIA
On the final day of the trip, the Tigers would face Concordia in an early afternoon contest. Both teams would struggle from the floor in the early going with Towson using a 4-0 run to close the first quarter with a 15-12 lead. The Tiger defense would step up the rest of the way with Towson holding the Stingers to just six fourth-quarter points and holding Concordia to 24 percent from the floor in a 69-39 win to close out the trip.

Charles Thompson led the Tigers with 15 points and seven rebounds as eight different Tigers scored in the game.

         
 
The Tigers will begin practices for the 2023-24 season in the fall with the first game of the year at Colorado on Monday, Nov. 6. Towson will make its home debut against Robert Morris on November 12.