Posts Tagged ‘Towson’

Though his Huskies got the win, men’s basketball coach Bill Coen felt his team’s victory over Towson last night took a Houdini-like effort.

“I think probably the best way I can put it is we escaped tonight,” Coen said. “We certainly didn’t play our best basketball but we did enough good things down the stretch to give us the victory.”

Facing a Tigers squad that was 4-19 overall and 0-13 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), Northeastern got all it could handle from the gritty Towson team. Despite trailing by six points at half time, the Huskies regrouped and squeaked by with an 82-78 decision in front of 1,201 fans at Matthews Arena.

The win pushes NU to 9-16 overall and 5-9 in league play. The squad has won five of its last six contests, all in conference games.

Struggling to contain the Tigers’ hot three-point shooting (55.6 percent in the first half), the stunned Huskies found themselves on the wrong end of a 40-34 score at the break. NU could not find its shooting stroke, going only 2-of-11 from long distance in the opening 20 minutes of play.

Regrouping at the intermission, the Huskies emerged from the locker room determined to attack more on offense. Led by senior captain and guard Chaisson Allen’s 21 points, Northeastern erased its six-point deficit and built an eight-point lead before hanging on down the stretch.

“I felt myself and my teammates settled for some jumpers in the first half,” Allen said. “We didn’t get to the rack or get to the foul line. I just wanted to come out more aggressive. I knew if I was able to be aggressive I could get my teammates more involved, and that’s what gave us the win.”

Allen joined freshman forward Ryan Pierson (17 points), and sophomore guards Jon Lee (16 points) and Joel Smith (13 points) in double-digits.

Tigers forward Isaiah Philmore led all scorers with 25 points, while teammates RaShawn Polk and Brian Morris scored 18 points and 15 points respectively.

Coen said the increased comfort level of his younger players has contributed to the team’s improved offensive play.

“A lot of the sophomores didn’t play all that much last year,” Coen said. “They’re now coming in with some experience, 20-plus games into the year playing 30-odd minutes. Now you’re getting out there and getting more comfortable. You know how you can score and how the offense is going to work for you.”

WRBB Sports Basketball Towson

Northeastern escapes a 1st-half deficit and holds on late for the win at home, 82-78.

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WRBB Sports Basketball, QuickCast Towson

Monday, February 7

59th Annual Beanpot Tournament – Semifinal #1
4:40 p.m. – Beanpot Pre-Game
5:05 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies vs. Harvard Crimson
from the TD Garden in Boston, Mass.
with Alex Faust, Jared Shafran, and Ben Horner
TV:

Wednesday, February 9

6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. Towson Tigers
from Matthews Arena
with Patrick McHugh, Chris Tramontozzi, and Kainani Stevens

9:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week

Friday, February 11

3:00 p.m. – Dog Pound Sports Sound

6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at UMass-Lowell Riverhawks
from the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass.
with Alex Faust, Ben Horner, and TBA

Saturday, February 12

11:45 a.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
12:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at Georgia State Panthers
from GSU Arena in Atlanta, Ga.
with Patrick McHugh and Jared Shafran
TV:

WRBB Sports Basketball, Hockey Beanpot, Georgia State, Harvard, Towson, UMass-Lowell

Monday, January 24

6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. William & Mary Tribe
from Matthews Arena
with Patrick McHugh, Andy Towne, and Victoria Rossi

Wednesday, January 26

6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at UNC-Wilmington Seahawks
from Trask Coliseum in Wilmington, N.C.
with Andy Towne and Dan Groob

9:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week

Thursday, January 27

Only available on WRBB Sports Extra
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Women’s Basketball: Huskies vs. Towson Tigers
from Solomon Court
with Chris Tramontozzi and Patrick McHugh

Friday, January 28

3:00 p.m. – Dog Pound Sports Sound

7:15 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:30 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies vs. UMass Minutemen
from Matthews Arena
with Alex Faust, Jared Shafran, and Ben Horner
TV:

Saturday, January 29

12:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
1:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. Georgia State Panthers
from Matthews Arena
with Patrick McHugh, Andy Towne, and Kainani Stevens

6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at UMass Minutemen
from the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass.
with Alex Faust, Jared Shafran, and Ben Horner

Sunday, January 30

Only available on WRBB Sports Extra
2:00 p.m. – Northeastern Women’s Basketball: Huskies vs. George Mason Patriots
from Solomon Court
with Brandon Challener and TBA

WRBB Sports Basketball, Hockey, The Dog Pound George Mason, Towson, UMass, UNC-Wilmington, William & Mary, Women's Basketball

We inch closer to the season with Media Day tomorrow, and this week we’ll bring you twice the preview action. Today, we look at the Towson Tigers.

2009-10 Recap: A season that began inauspiciously with a 4-16 start eventually improved with a 6-5 finish to bring the Tigers to a final record of 10-21. In conference, the team went 6-12 and finished in 8th place, defeating 9th-seeded UNC-Wilmington in the first round of the CAA Tournament before falling to top-seeded Old Dominion the next day. While the November, December and January portion of the schedule was forgettable and included a seven game losing streak, Towson did play its best basketball down the stretch, at one point winning three consecutive games which included an 83-77 win at William & Mary, the CAA’s second-best team, on Feb. 24.

Key Losses:

• Josh Thornton: A transfer guard from Georgetown, Thornton averaged 11.7 points per game in three seasons at Towson. Offensive inconsistency plagued the senior last season as he had four games scoring over 20 points but also had eight games in which he scored 6 points or less. With an average of 11.4 points per game he was the team’s leading scorer a season ago.
• Calvin Lee: The team’s second-leading scorer at 10.6 points per game, Lee showed major improvement at the forward position in 2009-10. After not seeing action as a freshman or sophomore Lee came off the bench as a junior and cracked the starting lineup last year as a senior. He doubled his average in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks from his junior year and had three double-doubles on the year.
• Jarrel Smith: A transfer from Colorado State, the forward played two seasons for the Tigers as a starter, averaging 9.2 points per game last season. Injuries cut short his senior year as he did not play in five of the team’s final eight games and came off the bench in the other three. Injuries hurt his shooting percentage as his average fell from 44.6% as a junior to 39.8% last year.

Key Returns:

• Robert Nwankwo: One of four seniors on the team, Nwankwo is a physical presence in the paint for the Tigers. He averaged 9.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game and had eight double-doubles on the year. The 6’8” big man made his biggest impact on defense, leading the conference with an average of 3.1 blocked shots per game, the 11th-highest total in the nation, en route to being named to the CAA All-Defensive team. Nwankwo could raise his average by three to four points per game if he improves his free throw shooting as he was a disappointing 43.7% from the charity stripe last season.
• RaShawn Polk: The player with perhaps the greatest upside, the junior guard led the team in scoring in the final seven games of the season by averaging 15.5 points per game, including 20 points in the first round win over UNCW in the CAA Tournament. Polk also averaged over 30 minutes per game at the end of the season. Polk will be looked to share the ball more this season as he averaged only one assist per game last year.
• Troy Franklin: The junior guard is the main assist man for the Tigers as he led the team with 3.7 helpers per game. Much like Polk he raised his level of play down the stretch, averaging 13.4 points per game in the season’s final eight games and shooting 50% from beyond the 3-point arc and shooting 90% from the free throw line. He saved his best performance for the team’s biggest win as he had 27 points, seven assists and only one turnover in an 83-77 win at William & Mary.

What to Expect: While Towson has seen its win total decline each of the last three seasons, the Tigers hope to finally crack the .500 mark this year. While three of the top four scorers depart, three players (Nwankwo, Polk, Franklin) with an average of at least 8.3 points per game return. With four of five starters returning and many players showing improvement towards the end of the season the Tigers could have their best season yet under Pat Kennedy. If these players continue to improve and the team can get something from its bench it could be the surprise team of the year in the CAA. One area of improvement will have to be on defense, where the Tigers allowed a league-high 76.2 points per game. Expect Towson to improve this season and finish in the middle of the pack, possibly in the top five if all goes well.

Patrick McHugh Basketball CAA, Towson

Win or lose, this year was an emotional roller coaster for Huskies fans. So, what were your favorite games this season? The best wins, the most exciting back-and-forth tussles, the last-minute finishes? You can weigh in by messaging us on Twitter (@wrbbsports), e-mailing us (sports@wrbbradio.org) or commenting on our Facebook page.

Here are our picks for the top highlights from October of this season.

October 10, 2009 – Hockey’s win at Colorado College

After giving up two goals on the first two shots the night before, Northeastern responds to win its first game of the season on the road in Colorado Springs.

October 24, 2009 – Football vs. Towson

Northeastern football finally breaks through for its first victory of the season, with a blend of unconventional plays and exciting offensive sequences. They take a decisive 27-7 win over the Towson Tigers.

October 31, 2009 – Women’s soccer wins regular season title

Huskies women’s soccer earns the right to host the CAA tournament for the first time, defeating Hofstra 4-0.

WRBB Sports Football, Hockey Colorado College, Hofstra, Towson, Women's Soccer

Northeastern wins its 10th consecutive game, after a dominating second-half performance over the Towson Tigers.

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WRBB Sports Basketball, QuickCast Towson

Tuesday, January 19

6:50 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Hockey: Huskies vs. Providence College Friars
from Matthews Arena
with Keith Lavon and Ben Horner

Wednesday, January 20

6:50 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Basketball: Huskies at Towson Tigers
from Towson Center Arena in Towson, Md.
with Jason Lavine and Will Klaynman

Thursday, January 21

8:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week

Friday, January 22

3:00 p.m. – Dog Pound Sports Sound

Saturday, January 23

1:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
2:00 p.m. – Basketball: Huskies vs. Virginia Commonwealth
from Matthews Arena
with Jason Lavine, Will Klaynman and TBA

WRBB Sports Basketball, Hockey, The Dog Pound Providence, Towson, VCU

We speak with Rocky Hager, Alex Dulski, John Griffin, and Mike Lukenda after Saturday’s win over Towson.

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WRBB Sports Football, Press Pass Towson