Towson, MD – Coming off of a close loss to James Madison, Towson had a week off to recoup and prepare itself against a good Cornell team. They struggled in the first half to stop Cornell from scoring in the paint. The Tigers saw themselves giving up 22 points in the paint while only being down 36-35 at the half. However, with a strong outing Tyler Tejada and Dylan Williamson, Towson was able to go on a run in the second half to secure the 93-80 victory.
In the first half, Senior Cooper Noard for the Cornell Big Red led the way with 10 points to help the team go on a 15-8 run to start the game. Towson had no answers for Cornell in the paint. Of their 36 points, 22 came in the paint as they shot 12-of-20 from inside the arc. It also helped that the team was efficient from 3 going 50% on 3-of-6 shooting led by the team’s leading scorer Adam Hinton who made both his 3’s in the half. The team also did a good job contesting shots in the paint. Out the gate, Towson was not able to convert inside the 3-point line going just 5-of-19 from the field. However, Tejada, currently leading the team in points at 18.6 ppg, led the team with 14 points at the break while the team collectively shot 7-of-14 from three. This 3-point shooting helped keep the game close for the Tigers along their strong offensive rebounding (9-3 advantage).
Following several shots in the paint by Tejada and offensive rebounds by Jack Doumbia Jr. that led to four points in a 30 second window, Towson seemed poised for a run. However, a few shots at the rim by Cornell kept the game close. After scoring just five points in the first half, PG Dylan Williamson stepped up in the second scoring 10 points and assisting on three shots to help Towson go on a 22-15 run. The Tigers were on a 17-15 run before a 3 by Tejada put them up 55-51 and then following a block, Tejada found Williamson on a fast break that led to a layup putting them up 57-51. This half also saw Tyler Coleman, who is averaging 2.6 ppg on the season with no 3’s, hit his lone 3 point attempt of the game and go 3-of-3 from the field. With 5:10 left to go, Towson converted a put back dunk off a missed shot followed by a steal and runout in transition led to a 16-point lead for the Tigers capping a 23-13 run essentially putting the game away.
The 93 points scored by Towson is the most points scored by the team with coach Pat Skerry at the helm against a non-conference opponent outside of the Baltimore area. The team also finished with 38 rebounds with almost half coming on the offensive end with 16. They made getting offensive rebounds their identity in the second half along with outside shooting as they finished the game 11-of-22 from deep. They were led by their two stars; Dylan Williamson who finished with 15 points, 2 rebounds and 8 assists, and Tyler Tejada who finished with 26 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Towson will have a tough test ahead against 7-1 UCF. Cornell looks to bounce back against 4-5 Samford.
This article was written by Andre Jackson, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Instagram, or on twitter.
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