Towson?s men?s basketball team is starting to feel the pressure.
Following a season-high three game winning streak, the Tigers (9-12, 5-7 Colonial Athletic Association) lost to Virginia Commonwealth (17-5, 12-2) and James Madison (11-11, 4-8), succumbing to the teams? aggressive, trapping defenses that force players to make quick decisions.
In the past week, the Tigers were off the mark, falling into eighth place in the 12-team league after reaching .500 in the conference just a week ago.
“The last two games have been a little bit of carbon copies, which always concernsyou if the results aren?t what you want,” Towson coach Pat Kennedy said. “It?s our guards being very tentative. We have a lead or play a team like Virginia Commonwealth and you are toe-to-toe, and all of a sudden you turn the ball over.”
In a 65-42 loss to the Rams, the Tigers turned the ball over a season-high 19 times and shot a team record-low 25.5 percent for the game. Against James Madison, Towson shot 47.1 percent from the floor, but again turned the ball over 19 times in a 73-68 loss.
Those efforts were in stark contrast to the Tigers? first 20 games, when they were ranked 10th in Division I in turnovers with just 10.8 per game, and 14th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.33.
“The guys are just trying too hard to make plays,” Towson senior guard C.C. Williams said. “There?s nothing the coaches can do about it [besides teach us], so it?s up to us to find a solution to the problem on the court.”
Another problem for the Tigers has been playing away from Towson Center. Towson is 8-3 at home this season, but just 1-10 on the road, losing its past 10 straight since a 73-66 win over Samford on Nov. 20.
If the Tigers have any hope of securing an easier path in next month?s conference tournament, they must find a way to win at Drexel (9-14, 2-9) on Saturday afternoon at 4 in the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia. The Dragons, who lost at Towson, 86-77, in January, are led by forward Frank Elegar (15.5 ppg, 8 rpg) and guard Tramayne Hawthorne (10.6 ppg, 3.5 apg).
“We have been streaky, but we still have a chance to come in fourth place and get a first-round bye,” Williams said. “We are going to stay focused and try to work this out.”
