FEDORA

[PointGuard]

Feb. 13, 2024: Drexel Dragons (12-11, 5-7) @ #17 ranked Towson Tigers (21-2, 11-1)

Tom Nielson and Jeff Ridgefield, fans

Tom: We got some good seats tonight, Jeff.

Jeff: Big crowd tonight…made us almost miss the tipoff.

Jeff: Whoa! Great pass by White and basket by Holmes. I love those alley-oop plays.

Tom: Tigers are kicking butt and taking names tonight. Already ahead 28-11 and we’re got 10 more minutes to go in the half.

Jeff: Towson’s zone is giving Drexel fits. 41-15 now. Drexel is having a tough time getting shots off.

Jeff: The Tigers backed off in the last part of the half, but a 49-30 lead at the break should be enough for us not to have to worry much in the 2nd half.

Tom: Looks like both teams’ defenses are dominating here in the 2nd half.

Jeff: Yeah, but Aura has pretty much gone to getting his bench a lot of playing time.

Tom: Hey! 74-58…another win for the Tigers. That’s 12 straight wins for Towson. Good defense all the way. Great offense in the first half.

Jeff: It was good to see PF Kevin Holmes score 16. He’s been picking his game up as time goes on this season. C Donny Flint’s 10 points and 9 boards would have been higher if he’d played more.

Tom: Yeah, but all that playing time the bench got will pay dividends. And the subs played pretty darn well.

[PointGuard]

Feb. 16, 2024: #17 ranked Towson Tigers (22-2, 12-1) @ Northeastern Huskies (9-15, 5-8)

Nathan Parks, walkon SG

We beat the Huskies by 13 when playing them at home.

Northeastern’s SG Marqus Cook has averaged 17.5 ppg.

We hit over 60% of shots and were up 20-12 but too many fouls being called on us.

We were head 44-31 at the half after hitting 50% of our FG’s and 63% of our 3’s plus 23-13 rebounding advantage. SF Mac McCaffery scored 8 points for us.

We fell apart in 2nd half. We went ice cold from field and foul line and made a bunch of turnovers that allowed Huskies to close to within 46-42 after 4 minutes of play. The crowds going crazy.

Then our defense took hold and we pulled away to 66-50 lead with 7 minutes left in the game. Now us on the bench are going crazy.

We beat Northeastern by a 75-61 score.

We only hit 14 of 30 free throws but outshot the Huskies 46% to 40% and outrebounded them 46-30.

PF Kevin Holmes had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. C Donny Flint scored 10 and had 9 rebounds, 1 steal and 4 blocks.

Northeastern’s SG Marqus Cook had 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.

As usual, 100% bench-time for me.

[PointGuard]

Feb. 20, 2024: NC-Wilmington Seahawks (12-13, 6-8) @ #16 ranked Towson Tigers (23-2, 13-1)

Carmen Giordano, fan

Gino, my father, and I attend Towson basketball games together. But he’s come down with a new virus that is circulating. This one affects the gastrointestinal system and not the respiratory system. So he’ll miss the game tonight but he loves the games so much that I plan to text him throughout the game to let him know what’s going on.

• Hey Pop, nice sized crowd tonight…Teri, Mel, Sid and Travis, our normal seat-mates are nearby and asking about you. Travis said that none of the Seahawks really is a star, but that their PG Bart Casper hits a high percentage of his shots. Mel doesn’t think the Tigers will have problems with NC-Wilmington’s 2-3 zone. There’s a small section of green Seahawks’ fans on the other side of SECU Arena. The Tigers are warming up now and soon we’ll have the National Anthem.
• Teri predicts Towson to win by 20. I said I’d be happy with a 1 point win that would increase our win streak to 15 games.
• Seahawks scored first 5 points but Shaun White hit a 3 after 2 minutes of play.
• You’d be screaming…lotsa turnovers…we’re down 10-5.
• Donny Flint’s in foul trouble AGAIN! 13:51 to go in half.
• Wayne Burrough to the bench with 2 fouls…6 fouls on Tigers, none on Seahawks… behind 11-9 with 11 minutes left in half.
• Jon Spann pulled up on a drive and scored to give us our first lead at 13-11.
• Spann just hit two 3’s…we’re ahead 21-15 with 7 minutes to go.
• Kevin Holmes knocked down a 3 and then he picked off a pass and tossed it ahead to Mac McCaffery for a jam…we’re up 28-15.
• 9 fouls on us, none on NC-Wilmington with 4 minutes left in half.
• First half is over, Pop. You’re missing a good show by the Tigers…they’re ahead 44-25 and they’ve only been to the foul line for one shot. But they’re outshooting and out-rebounding the Seahawks. PG/SG Jon Spann has 11 points and 3 assists. Coach Aura has already played the entire bench a lot.
• Gonna go get something to eat and drink…back with you when 2nd half starts.
• Slow start by the Tigers except for White who’s carrying them. 55-37 now and White has 14 points.
• I KNOW how much you hate mascots. Doc the Tiger is going crazier than ever. Everyone around me is saying if you were here you’d be complaining that you came to see a basketball game and not a g__ d___ fake animal.
• Hey now. Stop. You’re supposed to be relaxing and just reading my texts, not sending ones with words that might be us both kicked off texting by Verizon. You’re just reading about, not having to watch, Doc the Tiger.
• Refs suck tonight…10 fouls on Tigers in 1st half and just 1 on Seahawks and now 7 on Tigers and just 1 on Seahawks in 2nd half. Guess they’re trying to help NC-Wilmington get back into the game…it’s now 57-43.
• Think Coach Aura musta kicked some butt. Towson on fire now. We’re up 80-53. Entire bench being played now.
• We just won our 15th straight game. Final score was 94-72 in favor of Towson. Total domination of the boards by the Tigers (38-23). Towson hit 16 of 32 on 3’s.
• Top scorers: Shaun White-18, Jon Spann-13, Kevin Holmes-13, Dominick Collins-10, Wayne Burrough-9, Donyell Porter-9, Mac McCaffery-8. Donny Flint had 11 rebounds. Only guy to score much for NC-Wilmington was SG Mike Clay with 23 points.
• Everybody said to tell you to get well quick, Pop.

[PointGuard]

Feb. 23, 2024: #16 ranked Towson Tigers (24-2, 14-1) @ Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens (8-18, 4-11)

Adrian Brown, Graduate Assistant Coach

We handled Delaware with ease (79-50) when we played them at home. Even though they are last in the CAA, we need to not take them lightly. They’ve won their last 4 home games. Their primary offense is the Shuffle but they use a lot of offensive freedom. They play mostly man-to-man on defense. We have the advantage when comparing starters, but their two starting guards have combined to score 19.1 ppg and their bench has scored more and rebounds more than does ours. We need to control their guards so we plan to press a lot to try to wear them down while we rotate our guards in and out of the game.

There were 10 lead changes and 7 ties in the first half. Donny Flint got into foul trouble (as usual). But we were able to gain a small advantage toward the end of the half at 42-37.

But we immediately began to steadily increase our advantage in the second half and did so throughout the entire final 20 minutes. Donny Flint fouled out after playing just 18 minutes, but Coach Fed played the entire bench extensively. All 12 of our players scored as we came away with a 78-61 victory. We held a 35-26 rebounding advantage.

PG Shaun White led our scoring with 15 points. Flint had 10 points. PF Kevin Holmes had 9 points and 9 rebounds.

With 2 games left in the regular season, we’re now 4 games ahead of 2nd place Hofstra so have sewn up first place in the CAA. We have a 16 game win streak that we’re all intent on continuing. We host Charleston next. The Cougars scored 103 points in their last game, so we need to work hard on defense in our practices before that game.

[PointGuard]

Feb. 27, 2024: Charleston Cougars (14-15, 8-8) @ #15 ranked Towson Tigers (25-2, 15-1)

Doc the Tiger (Towson’s mascot)

I was able to get the crowd pretty psyched up before the game. But the way the Tigers played in the first half really made my efforts unnecessary. They secured the lead early in the game and put together both tremendous offense and defense. While our offensive onslaught wasn’t all that unexpected, the defense was since Charleston had scored over 100 points in their previous game. Our guys just totally shut down the Cougars and finished the half way out in front at 47-20. The crowd was rockin’ all the way through the half.

The Tigers cooled off in the 2nd half but never let Charleston get closer than 20 points. We stomped the Cougars by a final score of 78-51.

Reserve PG Matt Faust had a terrific game, scoring 20 points in his 13 minutes of play. SF Wayne Burrough scored 13, had 7 rebounds and 4 assists. PG Shaun White and PG/SG Jon Spann each scored 11 points. C Donny Flint pulled down 12 boards.

Mac McCaffery was injured in the game. It later was diagnosed as a strained abdominal.

[PointGuard]

Mar. 2, 2024: #15 ranked Towson Tigers (26-2, 16-1) @ William & Mary Tribe (12-16, 8-9)

Baltimore Sun

TOWSON WINS 17TH STRAIGHT

The Towson Tigers continued rolling over the Colonial Athletic Association opposition last night. They completed their regular season with their 17th consecutive win, burying William & Mary 91-74.

The Tigers took control early and led by 12 at 36-24 when the first half ended. The second half turned into an offensive display by both teams. The two teams combined to pour in 105 in those final 20 minutes. Towson led by as much as 23 before settling for their 17 point victory.

Freshman PG/SG Jon Spann tossed in 24 points in 16 minutes of play. PG Shaun White hit for 19 points, C Donny Flint had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and SG Dominick Collins scored 10. For the second straight game, Towson did not allow a player on the opposing team to score in double figures. Spann said, “I just felt like I couldn’t miss tonight. The main thing though is that we continued winning as we prepare for the conference tournament.”

The win improved Towson’s season record to 27-2. They finished the CAA with a 17-1 record and were five games ahead of second place Hofstra. The Tigers will be the #1 seed in the CAA Tourney which begins next week. Coach Frederick Aura said, “Our guys have really played well this season. We’ve had so many different players step up to lead us in each game. That’s made it difficult for our opponents since they can’t just focus on one player and expect that will shut us down.”

[PointGuard]

COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

2023-2024 FINAL STANDINGS

[PointGuard]

Matt Barnes, 2nd Assistant Coach (Recruiting)

We had a long-standing scholarship offer for which we finally received an acceptance. Right after we finished our regular season, PG Weldon Walters gave us notice that he will be playing for us next season. Weldon is a 6’4” high school senior from Wallington, NJ. He’s presently the 537th ranked recruit but we think he is better than that. He’s an excellent outside shooter but more importantly is a great passer and a solid ball-handler. He’s got quick hands which has resulted in a lot of steals. He’s a decent defender and rebounder. He’s averaging 15.3 ppg, 4.5 apg, 6.5 rpg, 1.9 bpg, and 3.6 spg. Although he’s had a few run-ins with his coaches, his high school coach says he’s a hard worker and doesn’t have problems with injuries. While we’re hoping Weldon will be ready to step in as a solid backup for us as a freshman, it may take a year for him to develop and mature.

The signing leaves us with one remaining scholarship to fill. We’re hoping to add one more incoming PG. We don’t expect to fill that scholarship until April.

[PointGuard]

Tiger Blog

Colonial Athletic Association—Play-in Round

#10 seed Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens (9-20, 5-13, RPI:300) vs #7 seed NC-Wilmington Seahawks (13-16, 7-11, RPI:257): Delaware on top 39-29 at the half. 9 lead changes, 5 ties. Final score: NC-Wilmington-69, Delaware-66. A slow but steady come-back by the Seahawks in the 2nd half. The Fightin’ Blue Hens nearly won by hitting 14 of 34 3-pointers. The Seahawks held a 40-33 rebounding advantage though and got to the line twice as much and scored 8 more points on free throws. For NC-Wilmington: PG Bart Casper-15 points and 5 assists and SF John Shine-11 points and 7 rebounds. For Delaware: PF Tavorris Nunn-17 points and 7 rebounds and PG Peter Woods-15 points.

#9 seed Northeastern Huskies (11-18, 7-11, RPI:282) vs #8 seed Drexel Dragons (14-15, 7-11, RPI:212): Teams were tied 25-25 at the half. 11 lead changes and 6 ties. Drexel moved out to a 10 point lead in the 2nd half and then held on. Dragons outshot the Huskies 48% to 38%. Final score: Drexel-62, Northeastern-56. For Drexel: C Dave Holmes-12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks; PF Justin Towns-12 points and 6 rebounds; SG Kareem Bickerstaf-10 points and 8 assists; SF Aaron Dupay-10 points and 8 rebounds. For Northeastern: PG Paul Caspers-16 points.

Colonial Athletic Association—Quarter-Finals

#5 seed Elon Phoenix (14-15, 9-9, RPI:186) vs #4 seed James Madison Dukes (15-15, 9-9, RPI:134): Neither team was able to pull away in the first half, but James Madison managed to take a 41-36 lead at the break. The second half was The Nick Calhoun show. He scored from all over the floor and led the Dukes to an 86-71 victory. SG Nick Calhoun finished with 34 points and 6 rebounds for James Madison with C Jordan MacLean adding 12 points. PF Erick Church and C Bill Smith both scored 14 points for the Phoenix.

#6 seed William & Mary Tribe (12-17, 8-10, RPI:253) vs #3 seed Charleston Cougars (15-16, 9-9, RPI:146): This game was close the entire way although there were just 12 lead changes and 6 ties in the game. Charleston carved out a slim 36-33 halftime lead. Twice as many fouls were called on William & Mary than Charleston in the game so that the Cougars scored 12 more points at the line. That was more than enough for Charleston to eke out a 66-61 win. Charleston’s SF Russell Brown scored 15 with SG Marius Nichols adding 13. The Tribe was led by PG Kueth Johnson’s 13 points and C Keith Dillard scored 10.

#7 seed NC-Wilmington Seahawks (14-16, 7-11, RPI:257) vs #2 seed Hofstra Pride (18-11, 12-6, RPI:75): While they never got more than 5 points ahead, Hofstra achieved a 33-31 lead at the break. NC-Wilmington’s offense caught fire in the 2nd half and the Seahawks steadily drew away from the Pride. The final score was NC-Wilmington-75, Hofstra-62. The Seahawks leading scorer was SF John Shine with 16 points. PF Byron Humphries scored 13 and had 7 rebounds. For Hofstra, PG Marco Smith had 14 points and PG Jackie Dondon had 13 points.

#8 seed Drexel Dragons (15-15, 7-11, RPI:212) vs #1 seed, #14 ranked Towson Tigers (27-2, 17-1, RPI:12): The Tigers beat Drexel twice this season, by 13 points and 16 points. Drexel’s leading scorer, PG Ryan Killion, averaged 13.6 ppg this season.

The Tigers started slowly and fell behind by 6 points. They took their first lead at 16-14 with 12:34 to play. The two teams battled throughout the middle portion of the first half, but Towson took control in the latter stages to move out to a 44-35 halftime advantage. Drexel outshot the Tigers 60% to 50% but made 13 turnovers compared to just 3 by Towson. C/PF Donyell Porter came off the bench to score 12 points for the Tigers, while the Dragons’ starting SF Aaron Dupay topped all scorers with 17 points in the half.

The refs began the 2nd half calling 7 fouls in the first 2 minutes. Even though the fouls continued to pile up, the Tigers powered through, steadily expanding their lead with exceptionally accurate shooting. Towson, hitting 58% of their field goals, drubbed the Dragons 104-78. The Tigers also turned the ball over just 5 times while Drexel had 22 turnovers.

C/PF Donyell Porter finished the game with 24 points. SG Dominick Collins popped in 17 points and C Donny Flint and PF Kevin Holmes each scored 10. Flint also picked off 9 rebounds. Twelve players scored for Towson. For Drexel, SF Aaron Dupay drilled in 21 points.

Coach Frederick Aura said, “We had a shaky start, but once we got going we just got stronger and stronger as the game proceeded. Donyell (Porter) had a terrific game, but the entire team played well.”

Colonial Athletic Association—Semi-Finals

#3 seed Charleston Cougars (16-16, 9-9, RPI:146) vs #7 seed NC-Wilmington Seahawks (15-16, 7-11, RPI:257): The first 8 minutes were exceptionally close, but Charleston then got out on top and finished the first half with a 47-38 edge. The second half was a defensive battle during which Charleston was able to expand their lead to as much as 18 points before settling for an 81-70 victory over NC-Wilmington. SG Marius Nichols poured in 25 points to lead Charleston. PG Bart Casper topped the scoring for the Seahawks with 18 points.

#4 seed James Madison Dukes (16-15, 9-9, RPI:134) vs #1 seed #14 ranked Towson Tigers (28-2, 15-1, RPI:12): Towson beat James Madison by margins of 15 and 22 points during the regular season. One challenge for Towson was to control the Dukes’ SG Nick Calhoun who was averaging 17.2 ppg. With his 34 points, he nearly single-handedly carried the Dukes past Elon in the quarter-finals.

Horrible foul shooting by the Tigers allowed James Madison to hold onto a small lead throughout most of the first half. But in the last 2 minutes of the half, SG Copley Dwiggins came in off the bench and knocked down three straight 3’s to catapult Towson into a 45-41 halftime lead. His 9 points were high for the Tigers in the half with SF Wayne Burrough just behind with 8 points. SG Nick Calhoun dropped in 12 points for James Madison.

Towson’s offense slumbered through the 2nd half. The Dukes were ahead by 7 points with 6 minutes to play. The Tigers cut the lead to 4 but C Donny Flint fouled out with 5 minutes to go. But Towson was unable to hit baskets when it counted and were upset by James Madison by a final score of 79-73. Ultimately though, it was the Tiger’s inability to make free throws, making just 17 of 32 that cost them the game. On the other hand, James Madison made 26 of 34 free throws.

SG Copley Dwiggins scored 13, SF Wayne Burrough hit for 12, and C Donny Flint added 10 points for the Tigers. James Madison was led by C Jordan MacLean’s 20 points.

“We just never got our act together tonight,” said Coach Frederick Aura. “We looked like we were sleep-walking out there. We were simply out-played by the Dukes tonight.”

After the game it was announced that SG Dominick Collins sustained a minor concussion late in the 2nd half.

Colonial Athletic Association—Championship

#3 seed Charleston Cougars (17-16, 9-9, RPI:146) vs #4 seed James Madison Dukes (17-15, 9-9, RPI:134): The teams exchanged baskets for the first 4 minutes but then Charleston went a 10-2 run and James Madison was unable to answer. By the end of the first half, the Cougars were on top 49-33. Then the simply buried the Dukes in the 2nd half, going up by as much as 31. Charleston then cruised to an 89-74 trouncing of James Madison. SF Russell Brown scored 16 and PF Corey Harris hit for 15 points while pulling down 12 rebounds for the Cougars. SG Nick Calhoun scored 24 and PG Del Stowers hit for 23 for the Dukes.

[PointGuard]

Perry Winkle, Athletic Director:

The team and coaches got together to watch the Selection Show. All were sitting on pins and needles, hoping against hope that they would be selected. But knowing that getting two teams into the NCAA Tournament from the CAA was unheard of. Since Charleston won the automatic berth, it was likely that the Tigers would be relegated to the NIT.

NCAA Tournament:

#1 seeds: #1 ranked Duke, #3 ranked Kentucky, #2 ranked Texas, #6 ranked Ohio State

CAA selections:

Charleston, 14th seed in the West Region and will play #3 seed Xavier

Towson, 5th seed in the Midwest Region and will play the winner of the Southern Methodist/New Mexico play-in game for the 12th seed.

Cheers went up all around the room. The players and coaches were up and jumping and high-fiving.

Not knowing which team the Tigers will go up against means that Coach Aura and his assistants will need to study and prepare for both Southern Methodist and New Mexico.

Other Tournaments for CAA teams:

Hofstra, #1 seed in East Region of the CBI Tournament and will play #8 seed Maine

James Madison, #4 seed in Midwest Region of the CIT Tournament and will play #5 seed Coastal Carolina