In the first half of last night's home opener against UMES, Towson was victimized by a barrage of three-pointers.
But the Tigers, looking for their first victory of the season, were able to weather the Hawks and storm their way to a 74-62 victory before a crowd of 1,535 at the Towson Center.
In avoiding its first 0-4 start since the 1963-64 campaign, when it was a Division II program, Towson (1-3) also brought to a conclusion an eight-game losing streak dating to last season.
"We really asserted ourselves defensively," said Towson coach Mike Jaskulski. "I thought our concentration level was real high, despite having to struggle offensively early."
The Hawks (0-2) hit 12 three-pointers last night, three coming in the final two minutes, but were only 10-for-30 inside the arc.
Shaun Holtz, a 6-8 junior center, finished with a team-high 13 points for Towson while sophomore point guard Brian Allen contributed a double double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
In his home debut, Tamir Goodman, a highly touted freshman from Pikesville, contributed eight points and five assists.
After scoring two points in the opening half, Holtz sparked Towson in the early stages of the second session with nine points, including a dunk that gave Towson the lead for good at 28-26. The Tigers outscored UMES 26-7 to begin the second half to open up a 49-33 lead that they would increase to as many as 22 points.
The Tigers controlled the boards in the second half, out-rebounding UMES 22-13 for a 40-27 overall advantage. In losses to UMBC, Morgan and Villanova, Towson had a 115-83 rebounding disadvantage.
"We just talked about staying solid defensively and creating opportunities offensively," said Jaskulski. "When we do that, we're a pretty good offensive team. We can get out and score in transition, unlike in some past years where we had to get things done in half-court."
With UMES going cold from the perimeter, Towson was able to get going in the open court, including a three-point play by Kerry Augustus and a dunk by Sam Sutton that gave the Tigers a 60-40 cushion.
The Hawks closed within 66-56 with 1:39 remaining before three free throws by Goodman and one by Allen secured the victory for Towson.
UMES - Darby 4-15 0-0 10, Newson 1-4 0-0 2, N'Diaye 0-0 0-0 0, Pryce 3-6 0-0 9, Trotter 6-19 2-2 19, Brown 0-0 1-2 1, Roberts 1-5 1-1 3, Smith 5-6 2-5 14, Street 0-0 0-0 0, Hughes 0-0 0-0 0, Moore 1-3 0-0 2, Trotman 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 22-59 6-10 62. TOWSON -Allen 5-8 1-3 12, Barber 4-7 3-4 11, Goodman 2-3 3-6 8, Holtz 5-12 2-3 13, Sutton 4-6 2-6 11, Augustus 2-4 1-1 5, Spalevic 0-1 4-4 4, Shin 1-2 0-0 2, Weatherspoon 2-5 4-4 8. Totals 25-48 20-31 74.
Halftime-UMES, 26-23. 3-point goals-UMES 12-29 (Trotter 5-11, Darby 2-9, Pryce 3-4, T. Smith 2-3, Roberts 0-2), Towson 4-12 (Allen 1-4, Sutton 1-1, Goodman 1-2, Holtz 1-2, Spalevic 0-1, Weatherspoon 0-2). Fouled out-Brown. Rebounds-UMES 27 (Brown 7), Towson 40 (Allen 10). Assists-UMES 15 (Pryce 5), Towson 18 (Goodman, Sutton, Allen, Weatherspoon, 5). Total fouls-UMES 26, Towson 16. A-1,535.
