Towson University: A Legacy

[BuckeyePride81]

Tigers Hire New Head Coach
Can the inexperienced young coach lead Tigers to victory?

BALTIMORE, MD (AP) - Towson University has announced the hiring of new head coach Eric Williams, a virtual unknown to the coaching realm. Williams has had mild experience coaching at the High School level, however, has never brought home a division title in 8 years of experience. At the age of 35, Williams is the youngest coach in Towson's history, and is looking to bring Towson some name recognition down the road.

"I know we've got a lot of work to do" said Williams. "This program has to be built from the ground up, and I think I'm the man to do it." In a show of a desire to succeed, Williams has scheduled Towson into the "Coach's Classic" Tournament, and as they prepare to face their first round opponent Mt. Saint Mary's, Williams expects big things from the Tigers.

[BuckeyePride81]

http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/logos/119.gif Tigers Announce Starting Lineup for 03'-04'

Center - Dennis Walker

6'10" 214 lbs.
Junior
+ Quick for a center
+ Nice Jumpshot
- Could be questionable down low on D

Power Forward - Charlie Ward

6'10" 217 lbs.
Sophmore
+ Good height for a PF
+ Down low presence
- Bigger than the Center, also relatively light

Small Forward - Raheim Spencer

6'6" 198
Sophmore
+ Great with layups, consistency is evident
+ Decent size
- Not as good of an outside shooter as Williams would like

Shooting Guard - Bryant Lawson

6'5" 193
Sophmore
+ Good size
+ Hell of a three-point threat
- Misses easy free-throws far too often

Point Guard - Brandin Austin

6'0" 195
Senior
+ Fast on his feet
+ Stealing talent
- Easily blocked

Towson Tigers Schedule 03-04

CCL Tournament (Begins November 16th)
Coppin State - November 21st
@ Maryland College - November 29th
@ Georgia - December 4th
@ Norfolk State - December 6th
@ George Washington - December 10th
MD-Baltimore College - December 13th
Virginia Tech - December 20th
@ MD-East Shore - December 30th
- Conference Play Begins -
@ George Mason - January 3rd
@ Hofstra - January 7th
Delaware - January 10th
William and Mary - January 14th
@ James Madison - January 17th
UNC Wilmington - January 19th
Drexel - January 21st
Old Dominion - January 14th
@ VCU - January 28th
@ Old Dominion - January 31st
George Mason - February 4th
@ Delaware - February 7th
@ UNC Wilmington - February 11th
VCU - February 14th
@ William and Mary - February 18th
@ Drexel - February 21st
Hofstra - February 25th
James Madison - February 28th

[BuckeyePride81]

Tigers Claw Back from the Brink; Advance over Mount
Coming back from being down 12 at half, Williams scores first win.

http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/index_logos/119.gif Towson Tigers (0-0) vs. http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/index_logos/116.gif Mt. St. Mary's Mountaineers (0-0)

The last of four games to open the Coaches Classic tournament in Missouri today consisted of the Towson Tigers facing up against "The Mount" from Mount Saint Mary's. MSM took an early lead over Towson, who was still adapting to the immense scale of the tournament's arena, usually home to the Big 12's Missouri Tigers. Towson's starting point guard, Senior Brandin Austin came out with a bang, dropping two clutch threes in the early goings, although Austin was sent to the bench with foul trouble shortly thereafter. "Austin really was a force tonight" said Williams, excited at being undefeated as Towson's new head coach. If it wasn't for his leadership and free-throw shooting, I think we'd be on the other side of this right now, wondering what we could have done to win".

Going into the half "The Mount" held a 12 point lead over the Tigers, however, Williams never worried too much. "I didn't expect us to come out and drain 10 threes, hit all our shots, and get all the boards off the bat. I knew there were 14 minutes of Basketball left to go in the game headed to the lockeroom, and that's plenty of time to make something happen. Williams couldn't have said it any better. After trailing by 14 for a few moments, Towson made a run to close the lead to a mere 1 point deficit (41-40) with a little over 8:00 minutes remaining on the clock. "The boys came out clawing" said Williams, "despite the deficit, they were ready to impress".

And they did. Towson kept the game close for the next 6 minutes, trailing by 5 with just under 2 minutes left to play in the game. Unfortunately for Towson, they had been remarkably clean on fouls, and wasted precious clock time working their way to the Bonus, to force MSM to shoot from the line. Eventually, The Mount led by 4 with 15 seconds left, when a missed 3 led to a Towson layup by Center Dennis Walker with 8.8 seconds left. On the following inbound pass up two points, Small Forward Raheim Spencer intercepted the throw and called Towson's final time-out to set up one last shot.
"I just dove for it" said a bewildered Spencer after the game. "When I felt the ball on my fingertips I was as amazed as anyone else, and the first thing I thought to do was call a timeout."

Spencer inbounded the ball with roughly 8 seconds left to play, although Towson couldn't find the open shot with Point Guard Clarence Carson, their hot hand at the moment. Carson passed it inside to Spencer who let go a desperation jumper as the buzzer sounded: A jumper that caught nothing but net, sending the game to OT at 55 all.

Coming out of the lockeroom, it appeared to be a fresh game, however, it really wasn't. After blowing a huge lead in regulation, MSM came out flat, allowing Towson to break loose with a 5 point run, eventually leading 65-60 before the Mount sent them to the line a few times. The Mountaineers had one last chance with under a second remaining, however, Bradley missed a half court hurl with nothing on the clock, giving new coach Eric Williams and the Towson Tigers their first win of the season in the CCL opener.

The clawing Tigers go up against Mississippi Valley State in second round action, a team coming off an upset victory of the Richmond Spiders in the first round.

Tonight's Top Tiger of the Game:

Center - Dennis Walker
16 Points
16 Rebounds
0 Turnovers
4/5 Free Throw Shooting
2 Blocks

[K Bomber]

Ohhhh, the Mount goes down like a German U-Boat. I guess it had to happen, oh wait I'm in the wrong legacy....

Nice start Buckey................

[vandnbyriver5]

good start man


i guess u were sold on the Career legacy...

[BuckeyePride81]

CCL Slips Towson's grasp; Tigers lose first of the season
Foul trouble crippled the Tigers throughout tonight's loss

http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/index_logos/119.gif Towson Tigers (1-0) vs. http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/index_logos/2400.gif Mississippi Valley State Devils (1-0)

Towson came out gunning against Mississippi Valley State tonight, however, just didn't have all eight cylinders firing. Towson lead twice in the game, first at 17-15, then later at 46-45, however, they would never successfully press the advantage.

"Fouls killed us" said Williams, in reference to Brandin Austin's flailing that lead to 4 fouls on himself in the first half alone, and a fatal fifth foul upon being subbed in late in the game to bring Towson back. "He wasn't thinking, he couldn't have been, why he got called on a reach at half-court when I told him to play soft is beyond my range of thought"

With Austin out of the game with just over 3 minutes left on the clock, the Tigers lost their grip on the game, skidding to a 63-52 defeat at the hands of the Devils. The Devils out-rebounded the Tigers big, controlling the pace of the game from start to finish.

"We blocked well, for what its worth" said Williams, obviously dejected at Towson's early exit from the CCL tourney. "Without our second chance shooting, we just didn't have a chance".

Towson (1-1) faces Coppin State in a non-conference game this Friday night at home for the first time this season.

Tonight's Top Tiger of the Game

Center - Dennis Walker
8 Points
9 Rebounds
3 Blocks
24 Minutes

[BuckeyePride81]

Tigers Claw Early; Obliterate Eagles in the late stages
Towson comes alive in the late goings to win big at home

http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/index_logos/2154.gif Coppin State Eagles (0-1) vs. http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/index_logos/119.gif Towson Tigers (1-1)

The Tigers fought hard early to stay at pace with Coppin State in tonight's game, with a solid performance from bench players and starters alike. Going into the lockeroom up by two at the half, it appeared as if the Tigers were going to struggle till the end, however, a monumental defensive performance from the Tigers in the second period of play led to a big win for the Tigers from Baltimore.

Shooting 57.1 percent from the field in comparison to the 33.3 percent put up by Coppin State, the second half performance was the difference. Even though the Tigers committed 12 turnovers on the game, the 13 from Coppin State offset this mistake.

"We came down the stretch with guns blazing" said an exctatic Williams, in light of his second win as head ball coach at Towson. "I was impressed by how strongly we closed the game".

Towson went on to win by a score of 69-52, a win far more comfortable than their nail-biter over The Mount in the opening round of the Coach's Classic. They face the Flames of Maryland College next on the road, in what should be a good matchup for the 2-1 Tigers.

Tonight's Top Tiger of the Game

Center - Dennis Walker
13 Points
13 Rebounds
2 Blocks

[BuckeyePride81]

Tigers win over Flames of Maryland College
Second straight victory for the prowling tigers.

Towson won its second consecutive game tonight with a 68-66 win over the Flames of Maryland College. Maryland College never really had much of a shot, were it not for a late game push to make it close. Once again Towson suffered from foul trouble issues, making this one closer than it really should have been.

(My System locked up following the game, and I didn't have a chance to look at all my stats and whatnot. I simmed the game over because I honestly didn't feel like playing the same game twice due to a console lock up, so I don't really have stats here...things will be back to normal after our next game vs. Georgia.)

[BuckeyePride81]

Tigers fight valiantly; fall behind in late stages
Bulldogs take down the Tigers with no trouble

http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/index_logos/119.gif Towson Tigers (3-1) vs. http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/index_logos/61.gif Georgia Bulldogs (0-4)

It's games like these that remind you that being 3-1 doesn't mean your going to win 3 out of 4. Tonight, the Towson Tigers came into Georgia knowing they had about as much chance of beating the Bulldogs as a snowball's chance of surviving in hell. Yet, with a ferocity seen usually in championship teams, the Tigers took the field and battled tooth and nail to a 34-28 halftime defecit.

"We really gave it our all" said Towson's SG Lawton. "Despite the results, I'm proud of the effort the guys showed tonight on all fronts. We couldn't have asked for more".

Towson came out of the lockeroom with a fast three to close the lead to a mere 3 points, but they would go flat from there. Only scoring another 20 points in the remaining 13 minutes, Towson went down for the second time this year 74-51.

"We needed this" said Williams. "Without a game like this, I don't think this team would have been preparedwhen we came across a far superior team late in the season when it could mean the difference between a tournament bid and a ringside seat from the gym.

Towson goes up against Norfolk State in their 3rd consecutive road game in their current 4 game road trip. With five non-conference games to go before the CAA schedule begins, key games against N.State, George Washington, MD-Baltimore College, Virginia Tech, and MD-East Shore. Towson could make a run for the CAA regular season title, if they perform well enough to build confidence going into the conference play.

Tonights Top Tiger of the Game:

Point Guard - Brandin Austin
19 Minutes
16 Points

[BuckeyePride81]

Spartans play tough; Tigers pull away in late stages
Towson wins its second game of the year against MEAC

http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/index_logos/119.gif Towson Tigers (3-2) vs. http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/index_logos/2450.gif Norfolk State Spartans (2-1)

Towson came out tonight on the road rejuvenated following a 20+ loss to the Georgia Bulldogs two nights prior to the game this evening. Where a larger team might have lost momentum, Towson gained it in the discovery that on a good night they could hold their own with a big conference powerhouse.

Towson lead early and often, dominating the field and the freethrow line, taking a 30-23 lead into halftime. "We were clicking on all cylinders" said Williams after the final buzzer, "The team came prepared to get back in the swing of things, and that's just what we did".

Norfolk would make it close midway through the period, scoring 8 straight to lead 49-48 in the late goings. However, unfortunately for the Spatans, as the game came down to freethrow shooting, the usually if-y Tigers drilled all 6 of their late game foul shots to win it 69-61, chalking up their 4th win of the season, and the second of which has come against the MEAC (The other being Coppin State). With Conference play looming on the horizon, Towson's impressive record could be a sign of a good year to come...

Towson goes up against George Washington on the road in just a few days, the final road game of their current tour.

Tonight's Tiger Claw Award Winner:

Shooting Guard - Dennis Lawton
19 Points
23 Minutes

[BuckeyePride81]

Tigers lose heartbreaker; tempers flare

http://www.towsontigers.com/photos/4249.jpg
Starting Point Guard Brandin Austin looks for the open shot


http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/index_logos/119.gif Towson Tigers (4-2) vs. http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/index_logos/45.gif George Washington Colonials (2-1)

WASHINGTON DC (AP) - Teams have lost bigger. Teams have lost more important games. However, you'd be hard pressed to find a harder crash than tonight's aftermath in Towson's third loss of the season.

The Colonials opened up with a bang, taking an early lead that they clutched to dearly. Up double digits for almost the entire game, George Washington's superior on court prescence was painstakingly clear. At the half, Towson trailed 40-24, in a situation that was getting worse before it was getting better. In all honesty, it wasn't the deficit that hurt so horribly, it was the way they would eventually fall.

There really wasn't much sign of resistance in the first 7 minutes of the final period of play, Towson stayed down by roughly 15 for the majority of the game. However, Coach Williams made a valiant effort to mount a late stage comeback.

"The idea was to take out all the starters till the last five minutes, then mass an all-out assault on the Colonials" said Williams. "It worked great...well...it should have."

With five minutes remaining, down 65-51, the Tigers pounced on the Colonials for the remaining time, only allowing 4 more points to be scored. Working their way from the brink, the Tigers, down by a mere 2 points, faced a defensive stand with 28 seconds remaining in the game, with the score 69-67 drove down court with PG Brandin Austin, who upon being double teamed and risking losing the ball, made a pass to Dawad Sanders, who was subbing in for the exhausted Charlie Ward. Sanders, a poor shot from the outside, failed to realize that another 3.2 seconds remained to go. Instead of using one of Towson's three remaining timeouts, Sanders lobbed up a brick from behind the arc, losing it all for the Tigers who had fought from being down by as much as 19. Shortly after the brick heard round the world, Small Forward Raheim Spencer was seen cussing out Sanders, near a fist fight.

"I don't what the hell he was thinking" said Sanders. "We worked our asses off for over 27 minutes, and he blew it all with one shot."

"It just ****ing hurts" said Coach Williams. Although Williams pointed no blame, and gave his team immense credit for the hard work, he admitted "That's the first time its come down to that situation, and I could go a lifetime without that feeling of utter misery again."

The Tigers are home this saturday against UMBC, their first game in the Towson Arena this year.

Tonight's Tiger Standout:

Small Forward - Raheim Spencer
16 Points
4 Rebounds

[elprez98]

. Sanders, a poor shot from the outside, failed to realize that another 3.2 seconds remained to go. Instead of using one of Towson's three remaining timeouts, Sanders lobbed up a brick from behind the arc

Are you playing role-play? If so, I know that had to hurt.....

[BuckeyePride81]

I tried it for that game and was going to stick with it, but with that three pointer when we didn't need it, I think I'm going to stick with the normal way. (at least for now, if it gets to the point where I'm dominating, I'll definately make the switch again)

[BuckeyePride81]

Tigers fall again; Retrievers hit their marks

http://www.towsontigers.com/photos/4252.jpg
Bench play was a factor, but not enough.

http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/index_logos/2378.gif UMBC Retrievers (2-2) vs. http://espn.starwave.com/i/ncaa/clubhouses/index_logos/119.gif Towson Tigers (4-3)

BALTIMORE MD (AP) - The Tigers fall for the 3rd time in 4 games tonight, by a final score of 67-60. UMBC showed no weaknesses on the court, and stupid Tiger turnovers led to a late game thrashing. The heartbreaking loss to George Washington and the after-effects of the game itself were evident on the court all night, as Towson just didn't click.

The Tigers face Virginia Tech at home next Saturday, with only two more non-conference games remaining.