Winning is Everything

[randy]

As of June 2002 (scholarship players only)

1. Jr PG Nick Granger: 4.0 (+0.2)
2. Fr PG Doug Price: 3.8 (new recruit)
3. Jr PG Udonis Dement: 2.6 (new JuCo recruit)
4. Jr SG Rob Roberson: 4.0 (+0.5)
5. Sr SG Cain Ward: 4.0 (+0.7)
6. Jr SF Terrell Wallace: 2.2 (new JuCo recruit)
7. So SF Mike Mason: 4.0 (+2.4)
8. Fr PF Steve Hall: 3.6 (new recruit)
9. Sr PF Dan Morton: 3.3 (+0.8)
10. Jr PF Aaron Wise: 2.4 (+0.9)
11. Jr(R) C Herbert Desmond: 4.0 (+0.2)
12. Jr C Kelley Brown: 2.5 (new JuCo recruit)
13. Jr C Will Nelson: 4.0 (+2.3)

[randy]

Starting Lineup

• 1: Jr PG Udonis Dement, 6-6, 4.0/5.0
• 2: Sr SG Cain Ward, 6-6, 4.5/5.0
• 3: So SF Mike Mason, 6-8, 4.0/4.5
• 4: Sr PF Dan Morton, 6-8, 4.0/4.5
• 5: Jr C Kelley Brown, 6-10, 4.5/5.0

Bench

• 2/3: Jr SF Terrell Wallace, 6-6, 4.5/5.0
• 1/2: Fr PG Doug Price, 6-3, 3.0/5.0
• 4/5: Jr PF Aaron Wise, 6-8, 3.0/3.0
• 4/5: Jr(R) C Herbert Desmond, 6-10, 1.5/2.5
• 1: Jr PG Nick Granger, 5-5, 1.5/3.0
• 1/2: Jr SG Rob Roberson, 6-3, 1.0/2.5

Walk-ons

• 1/2: Sr PG RJ Toxey, 6-4, 2.5/2.5
• 3/4: Jr SF Matthew Barber, 6-7, 2.0/2.5

Redshirt (ineligible to play this season)

• 3/4: Fr PF Steve Hall, 6-6, 1.0/4.0

[randy]

Nov 14, 2002: Towson (0-0) @ Charleston (1-0)

CHRL 2-11 FG. We have lots of new faces in the lineup this season, but it's always good to have our best player from last season SG Cain Ward back; Ward with 10 pts. Up 14-5, 11:37. We have the makings of high-octane offense; I increased pace to 5 (last season, we were using 4). Halftime, Up 42-18.

Key stats / Notes (Halftime)

• FG shooting: TOW 55%, CHRL 23%
• Assists: TOW 11, CHRL 1

Start of 2nd half

We're missing some inside shots, but I like the players' mindset of always taking it strong to the hoop. Up 52-29, 12:01.


Final Score: Towson - 76, Charleston - 44


Box Scores
[INDENT]Ward 28, 2, 1, 2 blks (*)
Wallace 15, 10, 1
Morton 13, 1, 2
Wise 10, 8, 0
Brown 5, 8, 1
Mason 2, 3, 2
Price 2, 2, 6
Dement 1, 1, 4
Desmond 0, 2, 1
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 51-25%
REB: +7
TO: -3
Pts in paint: +26
2nd chance: +3
Fast break: +7
[/INDENT]
Notes

• SG Cain Ward is still our main offensive weapon, but SF Terrell Wallace provides us with a consistent scorer off the bench

[randy]

Nov 17, 2002: Akron (1-0) @ Towson (1-0)

We're shooting below 59% FG, but we're getting a lot of shots because of our off rebounding, and forcing AKR to a lot of turn overs (7 already). Up 18-8, 11:32. Almost 12 mins have gone by, and AKR still with only 1 made FG. Up 29-8, 8:20. SF Terrell Wallace exploded towards the end of the 1st half, top scoring with 13 pts. This is perhaps the best 20 mins of basketball we played, since I became HC of this program two seasons ago. Halftime, Up 55-19.

Key stats / Notes (Halftime)

• FG shooting: AKR 25% (16 FGA), TOW 56% (34 FGA)
• Turn overs: AKR 15, TOW 1

Start of 2nd half

SG Cain Ward took care of our scoring early in the 2nd half, and our fans began chanting "100", referring to the possibility of us reaching the century mark. Up 74-31, 11:57. We missed outside shots, but continued our tenacity on the off glass.

Final Score: Akron - 51, Towson - 88


Box Scores
[INDENT]Ward 26, 1, 6, 3 stls (*)
Brown 21, 10, 1
Wallace 15, 10, 2
Morton 15, 3, 0
Wise 5, 5, 1
Price 4, 1, 5
Dement 2, 0, 5
Mason 0, 4, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 49-42%
REB: +10
TO: -16
Pts in paint: +38
2nd chance: +19
Fast break: +22
[/INDENT]
Notes

• Aside from improvement on offense, the overall athleticism of the team has allowed our defense to be more mobile, thus forcing opponents to turn the ball often
• SG Cain Ward is averaging 27 ppg over the 1st 2 games. Still too early, but Ward is making his case to be considered for either the Norton or Nat'l POY award

[randy]

Nov 21, 2002: #20 Towson (2-0) @ Robert Morris (0-2)

We're giving up a lot of off rebounds, and also committing many fouls (we're in the penalty); but we're shooting 61% FG to get ourselves the lead. Up 20-13, 10:44. Aside from FTs, RMU shot decently from the field to keep themselves reasonably close in this game. Halftime, Up 49-35.

Key stats / Notes (Halftime)

• Pts in paint: TOW 30, RMU 12
• Blocks: TOW 4, RMU 0

Start of 2nd half

SG Cain Ward scored 6 early pts in the 2nd half, to up his total to 21 pts. Both teams exchanged quite a number of turn overs lately. Up 59-41, 12:49. Our offense went cold, and RMU able to get close to within 12 pts. We converted 4 FTs to recover a little bit. Up 63-47, 7:34. We shifted to 2-3 zone the rest of the way, and RMU wasn't able to get anything going from the outside.


Final Score: Towson - 77, Robert Morris - 56


Box Scores
[INDENT]Ward 21, 5, 3, 2 blks (*)
Brown 14, 15, 2, 1 stl
Morton 10, 5, 3, 1 blk
Mason 10, 5, 0, 2 blks
Wise 7, 3, 0, 1 blk
Wallace 6, 1, 0, 2 stls
Price 4, 3, 3, 4 tos
Dement 3, 4, 5, 1 stl
Desmond 2, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 53-34%
REB: +11
TO: -3
Pts in paint: +20
2nd chance: +3
Fast break: +8
[/INDENT]
Notes

• RMU played good offense for certain stretches, but our defense stepped up in the right moment towards the latter part of the 2nd half, just when RMU is threatening to make a big rally
• Not much contributions from Terrell Wallace today, as he was in foul trouble most the game; SF Mike Mason stepped in and gave his best offensive performance thus far

[randy]

Nov 24, 2002: Massachusetts (1-2) @ #20 Towson (3-0)

5 early turn overs for UMASS, and they have not been successful on their offense except for converting a couple of 3s. Up 16-6, 10:45. UMASS has also done a good job defending, as we have converted only 7 FGs so far at this late stage of the 1st half. Up 20-10, 6:14. We scored 11 pts in the last 4 mins of the game, which seems to be quite a lot already, given the defensive nature of this game. Halftime, Up 33-17.

Key stats / Notes (Halftime)

• FG shooting: UMASS 16%, TOW 42%

Start of 2nd half

SG Cain Ward made the 1st basket of the 2nd half, on the 15:31 mark. PG Udonis Dement hit 2 consecutive 3pt shots, which put the result of the game beyond doubt now. We will play m2m defense exclusively; UMASS has converted only 6 FGS, 5 are from 3s. Up 49-23, 9:47. There were some doubts on whether UMASS can even reach the 30-pt mark, but they eventually did late in the game by hitting their 6th triple of the game


Final Score: Massachusetts - 30, Towson - 69


Box Scores
[INDENT]Ward 18, 2, 4, 4 stls, 1 blk, 4 tos (*)
Brown 14, 8, 0
Morton 8, 7, 0
Dement 8, 3, 7
Desmond 6, 2, 0
Wallace 5, 7, 1, 1 blk
Wise 4, 8, 3
Price 4, 4, 3, 1 stl
Mason 2, 4, 1, 1 stl
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 44-17%
REB: +25
TO: -5
Pts in paint: +30
2nd chance: +16
Fast break: +10
[/INDENT]
Notes

• The defense was excellent the entire 40 minutes. UMASS most "comfortable" shots were from the outside (6-26 3PT); they only had 2 pts in the paint, 2 fast break pts, and zero 2nd chance pts.

[randy]

Nov 28, 2002: Cincinnati (1-4) @ Towson (4-0)

CINCY has shot 50% FG to keep this game close. Up 20-17, 11:57. Good offensive battle between SG Cain Ward ( 16 pts) and CINCY's SF Jeremy Parmer (23 pts), but we have more weapons, in this offense-heavy game (both teams shot over 55% FG). Halftime, Up 53-37.

We doubled on Parmer in the 2nd half, and he struggled adding only 5 pts on 2-7 FG. There was no letup on our offense, as SF Terrell Wallace had a good 2nd half, and our big men dominated the inside.


Final Score: Cincinnati - 65, Towson - 98


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wallace 24, 8, 3, 1 stls, 1 blk, 9-12 FG (*)
Ward 20, 5, 8, 1 stl
Morton 14, 11, 1, 1 blk, 7-8 FG
Brown 14, 11, 1, 7-8 FG
Mason 10, 4, 2
Dement 6, 0, 3
Desmond 4, 1, 0
Price 4, 0, 4, fouled out
Wise 2, 2, 1
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 62-47%
REB: +27
TO: Even
Pts in paint: +22
2nd chance: +15
Fast break: +4
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Dec 1, 2002: Towson (5-0) @ Tennessee Tech (3-1)

TNTEC already with 5 turn overs, and shooting 30% FG. PF Dan Morton i early foul trouble. Up 18-10, 11:52. We pulled away as TNTEC continuous to throw the ball away, and we're scoring on transition. TNTEC able to chop off our lead slightly by hitting two 3s late in the 1st half. Halftime, Up 40-26.

Lead increased to more than 20, and TNTEC not able to recover since then. Up 54-33, 12:52. We got a comfortable win, despite not getting any significant contributions from 2 of our key players (Wallace and Morton).


Final Score: Towson - 75, Tennessee Tech - 52


Box Scores
[INDENT]Ward 32, 4, 5, 3 stls, 1 blk (*)
Mason 14, 7, 1
Brown 13, 5, 1
Wise 13, 5, 0
Price 2, 0, 2
Desmond 1, 3, 2, 2 stls
Dement 0, 4, 3, 1 blk
Wallace 0, 3, 2
Morton 0, 1, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 49-37%
REB: +6
TO: -9
Pts in paint: +34
2nd chance: -2
Fast break: +12
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Dec 6, 2002: Arkansas-Little Rock (6-2) @ #25 Towson (6-0)

UALR's star player SF Donnell Jennings was 3-3 FG (7 pts) before we decided to double team him. After the defensive adjustments, Jennings was 1-8 FG, and UALR offense stalled. Offensively, we're not shooting well but of offensive rebounding kept us ahead for most of the 1st half. Halftime, Up 33-21.

We increased the lead to 20. UALR able to come to within 13, but that's the closest they were able to get, as we went on 15-3 run to blow this game wide open. UALR's SF Donnell Jennings only able to score 2 pts in the 2st 18 mins of the 2nd half. SG Cain Ward with another MVP-level performance


Final Score: Arkansas-Little Rock - 50, Towson - 77


Box Scores
[INDENT]Ward 30, 9, 4, 1 stl, 1 blk (*)
Brown 20, 16, 2, 1 stl
Wallace 8, 5, 2, 2 blks
Dement 7, 1, 4, 1 stl, 1 blk
Morton 4, 4, 0
Price 4, 0, 3
Wise 2, 2, 0, 1 blk
Desmond 2, 0, 0
Mason 0, 4, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 47-33%
REB: +15
TO: -5
Pts in paint: +30
2nd chance: +13
Fast break: +18
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Dec 12, 2002: Texas Tech (3-5) @ #25 Towson (7-0)

TT has shot well early in the game, 70% FG, and we were trailing by as many as 9 pts. We recovered momentarily, but TT with another spurt increasing their lead to 10. We woke up before things get worse, coming up with a 10-0 run to tied the game, led by SG Cain Ward's 13 1st half pts. Both teams were on even terms since. Halftime, Tied at 35. We were limited to only 38% FG in the 1st half

Both teams shooting poorly at the start of the 2nd half; up until SF Terrell Wallace hits a 3pt shot, followed by 3 consecutive transition baskets off TT's series of turn overs. Up 47-37, 14:58. The onslaught cntinued as we lead by 15 halfway in the 2nd half. We coasted the rest of the way. Not a good shooting performance for us, but we won big by dominating the boards (TT only had 1 off rebound)


Final Score: Texas Tech - 46, Towson - 75


Box Scores
[INDENT]Ward 25, 3, 4, 1 stl, 1 blk (*)
Wallace 14, 7, 1
Brown 11, 10, 4, 2 stls
Morton 10, 5, 2, 1 stl
Dement 5, 5, 2, 2 blks
Price 5, 4, 3, 3 stls, 4 tos
Mason 5, 2, 0
Wise 0, 3, 0
Desmond 0, 3, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 43-36%
REB: +20
TO: -5
Pts in paint: +20
2nd chance: +14
Fast break: +15
[/INDENT]