Fifteen seconds. Just one-quarter of a minute, and the Towson University men?s basketball team was on the board thanks to a Tommy Breaux alley-oop dunk on a back-door lob from C.C. Williams. The Tigers were off and running with another strong, mistake-free start en route to a 74-61 win against Northeastern Wednesday, the team?s fifth win in seven games.
That start was simply another in a routine that coach Pat Kennedy has instilled in the team of starting strong.
“We’ve orchestrated our first 15 possessions,” Kennedy said after Wednesday?s game. “We’ve just organized things so well in terms of our offensive game plan and what we’re doing with defense. It puts us in good position.”
The Tigers (12-11, 6-6 Colonial Athletic Association) will have to get off to a hot start again Saturday, when they face third-place Drexel (16-5, 8-3). Limiting their own turnovers while creating some on defense will be key. On Wednesday, Towson opened the first half with just three turnovers.
“These all have to be defensive wins coming down the stretch,” Kennedy said.
Towson has used the same starting lineup ? seniors Dennard Abraham and Gary Neal with juniors Breaux, Williams and Jonathan Pease ? since the Loyola game on Jan. 15.
“I think everybody is more comfortable because we know what each other can do,” Abraham said. “I just think it’s a well-balanced attack.”
In those games, Towson has reached double-digits in turnovers just once, committing 10 in a win over UNC-Wilmington. In those seven contests, Towson has averaged 8.4 turnovers per game while forcing opponents to turn the ball over an average of 13.6 times per game. That margin is something that Kennedy has instilled in his players, particularly his guards.
“He’s stressed that a whole lot,” Williams said. “At the beginning of the year, I had a little problem where I was turning the ball over. It was just a confidence thing. But I’m over that hump now, so there definitely won’t be any more turnovers now.”
With that mentality, Towson is now over the .500 mark at this point in the season for the first time in 11 seasons.
TIGER STRIPES
» In their first home game since classes started for the spring semester, the Tigers drew just 1,837 fans to the Northeastern game.
» All five of Towson’s starters scored in double-digits Wednesday.
» C.C. Williams scored a career-best 15 points against Northeastern.
