Absences in the backcourt forced Towson men’s basketball to lean on its frontcourt. Fortunately for the Tigers, that’s an area of strength.
The graduate student power forward duo of Charles Thompson and Chase Paar combined for 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks to power host Towson to a 67-58 victory over Morgan State on Sunday evening before an announced 1,613 at TU Arena.
The 6-foot-7, 250-pound Thompson amassed 10 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks, and the 6-10, 255-pound Paar, a Mount Airy native and Glenelg Country graduate, chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and one block. In addition, junior small forward Tomiwa Sulaiman racked up nine points and seven rebounds.
That trio helped the Tigers own sizable advantages in several categories. They outscored the Bears 38-24 in the paint and 18-9 in second-chance points, and they won the rebounding battle, 47-29.
Paar said coach Pat Skerry and his staff had discussed inserting him and Thompson on the floor at the same time to use their size against Morgan State.
“Coach preaches day in and day out physicality, beating them on the glass,” he said. “So we went into the game knowing we were going to have a size advantage, especially with me and Charles both in at the 4 and 5. So we just took advantage of that, and I think it helped us a lot in this game.”
Skerry acknowledged that playing Thompson and Paar together meant a sacrifice in speed for size.
“That’s a little harder to do sometimes against some smaller teams, but I thought Chase did a good job,” he said. “He’s been through a lot the last couple years. He’s playing with a tear in his knee right now, but he hasn’t missed practices, and he’s getting through it. So I was happy to see him have success.”
Freshman shooting guard Tyler Tejada scored a game-high 15 points and added three rebounds, and redshirt freshman point guard Dylan Williamson compiled 10 points, five assists and two rebounds. The win helped the Tigers (3-4) end a three-game losing streak. It marked their first positive outcome since Nov. 12, when they held off Robert Morris, 66-62.
Williamson’s outing was especially encouraging considering Towson was forced to play without usual starting point guard Radhir Hicks. The 6-foot, 180-pound Hicks suffered a concussion in a 71-61 loss to Wake Forest on Nov. 17 and sat out a 65-39 setback to North Texas two days later.
The team also continues to wait for the NCAA to rule on its application for a waiver for redshirt junior shooting guard Nendah Tarke. The 6-4, 200-pound Coppin State transfer has practiced but has been prohibited from playing until the governing body makes a decision on whether he was officially a member of the Nicholls State program when he committed to that school in May before changing his mind a month later to go to the Tigers. (NCAA rules mandate a player must sit out a season if he transfers twice in the same season.)
“I think he’s sat out enough games.” Skerry said. “We’re waiting for a response. I do believe our people at the university and beyond, if we don’t get the word we want, will keep fighting it. It would be tragic for him not to get the word that we think and be ready to play. He’s a one-time transfer. He physically has been at one school — Coppin, that’s it. So hopefully, we get good news tomorrow. You can see we clearly can use him.”
The game turned with 1:49 left in the first half. Morgan State redshirt senior point guard Wynston Tabbs drove the right side of the lane, but his shot was blocked by Tigers freshman point guard Mekhi Lowery. Words were exchanged, and Tabbs slapped Lowery, igniting a scuffle between players from both teams along the baseline.
After order was restored, officials reviewed the video and assessed a technical foul to Tabbs and ejected him from the game. At the time, Tabbs had tied junior shooting guard Amahrie Simpkins for the team high in points with eight each and added two assists.
The tension seemed to spark Towson, which went on a 6-0 run in the final 1:49 to enjoy a 41-29 advantage at halftime. Bears coach Kevin Broadus said he didn’t condone Tabbs’ actions and pointed out that Tabbs’ absence impacted what they could do on offense.
“He’s a big part of our team,” Broadus said. “We need him to win games. … He played only 14 minutes, missed 26 for the rest of the game, and had eight points at that time. So he was on his way to doing what he had to do, but you can’t get caught up in the moment no matter what happens.”
The teams were even through the game’s first five minutes, reaching a 9-9 tie. But after a media timeout with 15:16 left in the first half, the Tigers opened up a 7-2 burst over a 3:07 span.
After the Bears’ Tabbs made a steal, dropped in a layup, and hit the ensuing free throw to complete a 3-point play, Towson scored six straight points with three each from Paar and Thompson in a 1:55 stretch.
Morgan State battled back, trimming the deficit to four, 33-29, after Tabbs nailed a 3-pointer with less than three minutes to go. But after a dunk by Paar, Tabbs and Lowery locked horns, leading to Tabbs getting tossed from the game.
In the second half, the Bears dug out of the hole to get within seven points on two occasions but couldn’t sustain the momentum to catch the Tigers.
Redshirt junior point guard Kamron Hobbs came off the bench to pace Morgan State with 11 points, six assists and three rebounds, and Simpkins chipped in 10 points and six rebounds. But the Bears (2-6), who played without redshirt junior power forward Myles Thompson (9.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in seven games, including six starts) never led after a 9-7 edge with 16:01 left in the first half.
Broadus, whose team is mired in its first five-game losing streak since a five-game stretch from Nov. 14, 2021 to Nov. 28, 2021, was especially displeased by the rebounding disadvantage.
“Size is not the issue. It’s the heart,” he said. “You’ve got to play tougher when you play bigger guys. You can overcome size. It’s just you’ve got to have the heart and will to go in there and rebound. We haven’t been out-rebounded like that against the big boys, and I take my hat off to Towson. Pat’s done a good job of instilling toughness in his guys.”
Towson at South Dakota State
Friday, 8 p.m.
Stream: midcosportsplus.com
Morgan State at High Point
Wednesday, 7 p.m.