Towson?s men?s basketball team learned just how far it was from being an elite team in the Colonial Athletic Association this weekend ? and the answer wasn?t pretty.
The Tigers (9-12, 5-6) suffered one of their worst losses in school history in a 65-42 defeat to league-leading and defending conference tournament champion Virginia Commonwealth (16-5, 9-2) at Siegel Center in Richmond, Va.
The Tigers entered the weekend ona three-game winning streak, but failed to maintain any momentum as Virginia Commonwealth held the Tigers to a program record-low 25.5 percent shooting.
Towson, which entered the game shooting 40.6 percent from the floor, had compensated for its poor accuracy by being ranked fifth in the country with just 10.8 turnovers per game prior to Saturday?s debacle. The Tigers, who also are ranked 14th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.33, weren?t able to find a rhythm due to the swarming Rams? defense. Virginia Commonwealth had 17 steals, and forced the Tigers into a season-high 19 turnovers.
“We didn?t shoot the ball well, but that was because of their pressure defense,” Towson coach Pat Kennedy said. “In fact, we haven?t seen pressure like that all year. Nineteen turnovers are extraordinary for us and they got a lot of points off turnovers.”
Towson must find a way to win on the road, as the Tigers are just 1-9 away from Towson Center this season, and haven?t won on the road since a 73-66 win over Samford on Nov. 20. The Tigers are tied for seventh in the league, but must be nearly perfect the next few weeks to have any chance of securing a top-four seed and a first-round bye in next month?s conference tournament.
The three-game road trip continues at James Madison (10-11, 3-8) on Wednesday night at 7, and ends at Drexel (9-14, 2-9) on Sunday afternoon at 4.
Junior forward Junior Hairston (12.9 ppg, 10.3 rpg) also must return to his early season form, when he dominated the low post by recording two games of 20 or more rebounds. Hairston, who is ranked 15th in the nation in rebounding, has been bothered by a hip injury during the past two weeks, and has totaled just 30 points and 31 rebounds collectively the past four games.
“I was frustrated with the score,” Hairston said. “I hate losing. As the score got bigger, I got more frustrated.”
