Hoping to maintain momentum following a 79-73 victory against Georgia State last Tuesday, the Tribe (7-21, 5-12 CAA) faltered against the Towson Tigers (12-17, 5-12 CAA), losing 79-63 after what appeared to be a close game. The loss marks the College’s fourth in the past five games.
Senior forward Janine Aldridge tied the College’s all-time career steals record with three steals Saturday night. Aldridge dropped in nine points while senior forward Emily Correal added 15 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Kyla Kerstetter poured in 14 off the bench on 4 of 8 shooting, following her career-high 17 points against Georgia State.
The Tribe shot 42.6 percent to Towson’s 46.3 percent from the field, while out-rebounding Towson 39 to 29. Even though the field goal percentage disparity was minimal, the Tribe ultimately collapsed, due in part to a late first-half Towson run and woeful three-point shooting, as the College only made 3 of 14 from long distance.
The College struggled handling the ball, committing 26 turnovers. Towson scored 29 points off Tribe turnovers, while losing possession just 17 times.
Even though the College eviscerated the Tigers with a 24-0 bench advantage, the difference was mostly due to the heavy minutes played by the Tigers starters. Towson guard Tanisha McTiller poured in 28 points on 9 of 14 shooting while playing the full 40 minutes of the game. All five Tiger starters played 30 or more minutes in the contest.
Senior guard Chanel Murchison’s layup gave the College an early 8-3 lead with 17:04 left in the half. Later, senior forward Jaclyn Mckenna’s layup with 10:42 left tied the game at 18 apiece, marking the height of the College’s comeback attempt.
The remainder of the first half was all Towson. The Tigers began their run with a three-pointer by guard Alliyah Berger, a shot that gave Towson a 23-20 edge and the lead for the remainder of the game. The Tigers would convert seven layups in the final ten minutes of the first half, as they began a 28-8 run.
The second half saw the Tribe claw its way back in after a Correal free throw brought the College within ten points at 51-41.
With the momentum seemingly slipping from the Tigers favor, Towson proceeded to counter with a devastating six-point run, building their lead to 57-41 with 11:31 left in regulation. While the Tigers tried to maintain their lead, the Tribe managed to bring the score within ten points again at the 4:47 mark thanks to a Kerstetter three-point shot. But the difference proved to be too much to surmount as Towson scored seven more points to put the contest out of reach.
The Tribe will face George Mason in its last game of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Kaplan Arena, March 6.
