Towson defeated the Drexel Dragons 70-67 last night in front of a season-high 2,800 spectators Thursday night. The Tigers handed Drexel their first conference loss of the season, and now sit just a game out of first place in the CAA. Enough reporter tone, here’s how I really feel:
Holy hell what a win! In the true spirit of seemingly every team I root for, the boys on Towson’s squad did everything they could to make this much more of a game than it needed to be. Missed free throws late, giving up a string of buckets on defense, and running into a few moments of going cold from the floor will certainly get your blood pressure going! That being said, credit to Drexel for fighting like crazy all the way to the finish. They proved that they can put up a solid performance in their first road test against a good conference opponent.
What I like about this team right now is that there are two guys who seem to be very consistent on the scoring end: Nendah Tarke (18 points) and Christian May (15 points). Also, it seems as if a different player steps up to take the third scoring option when someone else struggles. For example, Tyler Tejada would probably be my top choice as the third option for Towson offensively; he only scored 1 point this game. Instead of that being a major roadblock to a victory, Charles Thompson stepped up and dropped 12 points and 4 rebounds. It makes sense that Tejada would have a game like this, it’s the biggest spot he’s been in as a Freshman and struggles are a natural thing. Having other guys on the squad who can take the load off of him and allow him to focus on his defense and other aspects of the game gives him room to grow without losing confidence.
While there are a lot of positives, the inconsistencies at the free throw line did a great job and heightening my anxiety levels. The game could’ve been put away multiple times, but too many missed freebies kept the door open. I’ve never understood people who struggle at the free throw line, especially guards. I feel like this should be an easy fix from a mechanical standpoint so maybe I’m just missing a mental aspect that creates more problems than what I’m aware of. Either way, it’s gotta get fixed before it costs the Tigers when it matters most.
Up next for Towson is tomorrow afternoon at Delaware. Much like the Campbell game, this is a prime spot for a letdown with even more factors pointing towards one. The team is coming off a huge win, they’re on the road this time and they’re going up against the closest thing Towson has to an arch-rival. Also, Delaware is simply a much better team than Campbell despite having the same record in conference play. I’m sure the boys enjoyed the spoils of victory last night, but they’ll need to show a lot of maturity and mental toughness to be ready to go against Delaware.
Tipoff is 2PM on CBS Sports Network (Thank goodness it’s on a real channel this time). Go Tigers, and as always, F*** Delaware.
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