LETHBRIDGE, Alberta – The Towson University men's basketball team wrapped up the Western Slam by taking on the UC Irvine Anteaters on Saturday night. The Tigers (4-5) fell to the Anteaters (8-0) 67-60.
Mekhi Lowery tied a season-high with 14 points on 6-of-9 (66.7%) shooting while adding four rebounds and two blocks.
Dylan Williamson added 11 points on 4-of-9 (44.4%) shooting.
Key Stats vs UC Irvine:
- The Tigers forced 20 turnovers while having only eight.
- UC Irvine grabbed 36 rebounds compared to only 24 for Towson.
- The Anteaters shot 52.2% from the floor while the Tigers shot 41.3%.
How It Happened vs UC Irvine:
- The Anteaters started the game by scoring eight of the first 12 points, but the Tigers responded with a 7-2 run sparked a three-point play by Nendah Tarke to have a 11-10 edge.
- UC Irvine regained the lead after a 14-4 run to take a nine-point advantage with 7:19 remaining in the first half.
- Towson countered with a 13-1 run led by Rahdir Hicks's seven points to lead 28-25.
- The Anteaters finished the first half with an 8-2 run to take a 33-30 lead heading into halftime.
- The Tigers opened the second half with a 7-2 run to have a two-point lead.
- UC Irvine regained the lead by scoring ten of the next 14 points to have a 45-41 edge with 12:58 left in the second half.
- Towson cut the deficit down to two after a Dylan Williamson jumper, but the Anteaters score eight straight points to have a ten-point advantage.
- The Tigers fought back by scoring nine consecutive points sparked by a pair of Mekhi Lowery mid-range jumpers to trail 55-54 with 5:28 left.
- The teams traded a pair of free throws then a Tomiwa Sulaiman layup gave Towson a one-point lead.
- The Anteaters scored on the next possession, but Caleb Embeya gave the Tigers the lead right back with a layup.
- UC Irvine closed out the game with an 8-0 run to defeat Towson 67-60.
Inside the Numbers vs UC Irvine:
- Mekhi Lowery was named to the Western Slam All-Tournament Team.
- Tomiwa Sulaiman finished with a season-high four steals.
- Caleb Embeya had seven points and five rebounds off the bench.
- The Tigers accumulated 22 points off turnovers, the second highest total this season.
Next Game:
- The Tigers return home to TU Arena to host the UMBC Retrievers on Saturday, December 7th at 1 p.m. in the Charm City Hoops Classic. The game will be televised on Monumental Sports Network and streamed on FloCollege.