Towson guard Haliena Snowden sported a pierced tongue, earrings and her hair was pulled back, hardly resembling her on-court persona as the team?s defensive stopper while signing autographs after a recent victory.
But the 5-foot-10 sophomore has embodied the newfound physical and mental toughness of the Tigers (13-3, 5-0 Colonial Athletic Conference), who are on a nine-game winning streak, the longest for the team since it moved to Division I in 1982.
During the streak, the Tigers have held opponents to 50 points or less six times, after accomplishing the feat just twice last season.
“I like the challenge,” Snowden, a former Seton Keough standout, said. “When I get that defensive assignment, I want to stop that player and help my team out.”
Snowden has led the team in scoring or rebounding only once. Her averages of 6.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game rank just fifth and third on the team. Her 34 steals, however, are second, and her ability to shut down opposing scorers on the wings and in the low post has made her presence on the court invaluable.
“She?s unsung,” Towson coach Joe Mathews said. “What she does doesn?t show up in the box scores. Haliena has taken the best post player night in and night out and takes one or two charges every game. It?s part of the difference in where we are.”
Snowden?s defense also is a reflection on how well the Tigers have been protecting their basket as a team. Towson averages 13.7 steals a game, fourth in Division I, and has recorded at least 15 in three of its past four games.
“[Defense] creates our offense and that?s what we are about,” Mathews said. “Defending and rebounding is what will take us to where we want to go.”
When Towson hosts Drexel (10-6, 5-0) tonight at 7 at Towson Center, it will get a taste of its own medicine in the showdown of first-place teams. The Dragons are first in the CAA in scoring defense, yielding about 53 points per game.
But Snowden and the Tigers can light up the scoreboard.
In the Tigers? 65-38 win over George Mason on Sunday, Snowden set a career-high with 15 points, shooting 7-of-7 from the floor and snagging six rebounds. Towson is shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc this year and averages 64.8 points per game, fourth in the conference.
“Last year was a bunch of new people and we had to work together and gel,” Snowden said. “This year we all have a common goal: We want to work together and get 20 wins and [qualify for] postseason play.”
