Long Island University Sharks started the game strong jumping out to an early 12-2 lead. It was short lived, as Towson roared back and eventually controlled much of the way.
The Sharks (yes, that is their new mascot or name or what have you) have a trio of seniors with a lot of experience. Ty Flowers, is a 6’9 smooth scorer and came into the game as the leading scorer averaging 15 ppg. I was very interested in watching him with his size and shooting ability. Lets just say it wasn’t his best night. He was just 2-14 from the field and finished with nine points and four assists. He took a lot of tough shots and honestly missed a lot of open jumpers he probably normally makes. Just wasn’t the night for him.
Eral Penn and Isaac Kante played solid games though. Penn is a very athletic forward that kind’ve plays out of position. He plays the 4, but he’s not a pure big. He can score some in the paint, but is most effective as a rim runner or crashing the offensive glass. His outside shot is still developing. Penn was very active and flashed potential on both ends of the floor. He finished with 14 points, five rebounds and one block. Kante is a massive man. He’s listed at 6’8 240. He looked more like 270. He was surprisingly agile for his size. As you would expect he is a load to deal with on the block and literally could move the defender with ease. Kante also showed an ability to drive into his own post up from the perimeter. I was surprised by that. He even made a three…. That is still a work in progress. Kante finished with 17 points and six rebounds.
I would be remiss not to mention Alex Rivera as well. Listed at 6’1 (he looked more like 5’11) he had a massive tip slam, multiple huge three’s and led the team with eleven boards. And I love that he wasn’t afraid to let anyone in the gym know either….
The Tigers trio of bigs played well also. Cam Holden, who is like a wing/forward, scored at will and made an impact on defense also. He plays with confidence and his lack of athleticism is made up for by his strength. He did have four turnovers, but he more than made up for that. Holden loves posting up. It can be a smaller defender or a bigger one. He doesn’t care. He will find a way to score or create a pass to a teammate. Holden finished with 21 points, six rebounds, three steals and was 2-2 from three.
Charles Thompson had a nice game also. Thompson is very long. He’s a quick leaper and his hands have improved from years past. Thompson had 13 points and five rebounds. Chase Paar made an impact as well. He makes little mistakes on defense and offense at times, but he provided a nice spark off the bench with eight points and four rebounds.
Nicolas Timberlake was also a big part of this game. He sky’d for rebound after rebound. He is an explosive athlete. Timberlake also had a nice dunk in the first half as well. He had nine points and eleven rebounds.
Up next for me is Mount St. Mary’s @ Loyola MD
The first game was Morgan State vs Towson. Two pretty contrasting styles of play. Towson is very methodical and a bit clunky at times on offense. That seems to be there identity recently. They are a very physical team, but lack in playmaking ability for teammates. Morgan State is a smaller, yet feisty team. They play around 10-12 guys, with 8 of those getting pretty significant minutes. Coach Todd Bozeman will not hesitate to chew one of his guys out and yank him out of the game real quick. 
The Young Veteran 