By Andrew Robinson
Zane Martin scored 24 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and dished out 5 assists en route to a complete performance that culminated in Towson earning a sweep over UNC Wilmington at home on Tuesday Afternoon.
The senior guard increased his production in all three categories from yesterday’s 21 point, 4 rebound and 2 assist performance that also resulted in a Towson victory.
After missing the Tigers first conference game on Saturday, a loss to James Madison, Martin is beginning to catch his stride for a Towson team that is still fresh off an extended shutdown due to Covid 19.
When asked about the difference between yesterday’s performance and today’s, Martin credited being able to get back on the floor.
“Just finding my rhythm, and playing more. Getting back used to playing hard,” Martin said. “ I think the more I play, the more I’m going to find my rhythm.”
The Tigers also benefited from yet another strong performance from sophomore forward Charles Thompson. The Fort Washington native scored 17 points to go along with 6 rebounds while also going 7-8 from the foul line.
Thompson, who UNCW Head Coach Takayo Siddle said “Imposed his will” during yesterday’s game versus the Seahawks, was able to provide some offensive relief on a day where the Tigers again had a sub par day shooting from the perimeter.
“I feel like my role is to just play hard, defend, rebound… the points will come and go but as long as I defend and rebound I feel like I’ll stay on the floor as long as I would like,” Thompson said.
All afternoon long Towson took advantage of runs to put them in the position to secure their second conference win of the season.
The first one came at the end of the first half, after a reverse layup by UNC Wilmington’s Jamahri Harvey put the Seahawks up by ten points with 2:09 left in the half.
The Tigers scored the next six points going into the locker room, to cut the deficit to just four points at 36-32 at the intermission.
Coming out of the second half, the Tigers would outscore the Seahawks 21-4 over the ensuing 8:42 of game time. The run included a thunderous two hand slam from sophomore Demetrius Mims, and culminated with a three pointer from former Kimball Union standout Nicolas Timberlake.
“Our energy level needed to be at a high level throughout the whole game and I thought it wavered, and they took advantage of it,” Siddle said on the Tigers' run. “From that point on I think Towson either matched or exceeded our energy.”
For UNC Wilmington, it was a struggle offensively as they shot just 35.9% from the floor and 28% from three point range. Their leading scorer Jaylen Sims, who scored a team high 19 points yesterday, was held to just 4 points on 2-9 shooting, and played a total of 8 minutes in the second half.
“I’m looking at 35% field goal defense, plus fifteen on the glass, 51% from the floor, normally that’s a twenty point win. But they're a hard team to play against,” Towson Head Coach Pat Skerry said of his team's performance.
For the second day in a row, Towson had to get a defensive stop to close out the game. And for the second day in a row, the Tigers were able to execute, and finish the game with a defensive stand to cement a victory.
“That’s Towson brand basketball, defense, rebounding and toughness, if we have to get three stops in a row to win a game then that’s what we’re going to be able to do every time out there,” Thompson said.
Next for the Tigers is a weekend series in Hempstead, NY against the Hofstra Pride, the defending CAA champions. Hofstra was also picked as the favorites to repeat as conference champions in the preseason poll by fellow CAA coaches.
However, for the Tigers, it’s all about continuing to stay healthy, and improving everyday.
“We played well against a good program,” Skerry said. “Let’s continue to get better, and let’s continue to test negative so that we can potentially get better.”