Towson, MD – Towson (1-1) and Morgan State (0-2) battled until the very end of the whistle. It was not always pretty, but Towson came away with its first victory of the season 69-61. The game started sloppy and ended the same way. Towson eventually pulled away by converting several free throws in the closing minute.
Speaking of free throws, the advantage for Towson did not go unnoticed. Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman voiced his displeasure in the post game press conference. Bozeman just did not understand how one team can shoot 28 more free throws than the other. Towson was 24-of-38 for 63%, and Morgan State was 8-of-10 for 80%.
One bright spot for Morgan State was the play of Juco transfer Andre Horne Jr. Horne was very aggressive throughout and was the best player on the floor tonight. He hit many key three pointers to keep Morgan State close and even put them ahead at 39-38 early in the second half. In the end it was not enough, but Horne ended with a massive stat line of 27 points, nine rebounds, and five three-pointers made. Kyle Thomas struggled to help alleviate some of the load from Horne and struggled throughout. The junior forward forced many shots going 4-of-15 from the field, including 1-of-9 from three-point land. Thomas finished with nine points and four rebounds.
For Towson it was a different star in each half. In the first half the play of sophomore Byron Hawkins more than made up for the disappointing play of Wake Forest transfer Arnaud William Adala Moto. Adala Moto scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the opener against La Salle. Hawkins played a steady point and made many correct passes in the first half. Hawkins has the ability to draw contact wherever he is on the floor. He went to the line 12 times in the game, converting eight. Hawkins was quiet in the second half, but finished with 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
In the second half junior forward John Davis provided many key plays. He was tough to keep out of the lane, and hit the glass hard on offense and defense. Davis is a bit of a tweener at 6’5 and 235 pounds, but he makes up for it with a high motor and a high basketball IQ. Davis finished the game with 16 points and six rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting.
Next up for Towson is a date with Oklahoma State on November 19 in the opening round of the Charleston Classic. Morgan State has a date at Old Dominion on November 18.
This article was written by Greg Walter, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can subscribe to our RSS feed from the upper right corner of our home page, follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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