Tigers have no answer for Charleston’s 3s

Entering Saturday’s home game against College of Charleston, Towson men’s basketball had not allowed a team to make more than 11 3-pointers against it all season.

But the Tigers had no answers for the onslaught from the Cougars, who made 15 3-pointers on 22 attempts. The 68.2% clip is the best Charleston has shot from deep this season.

The barrage of 3-pointers from the Cougars aided a convincing 72-56 win in front of a TU Arena-record 4,322 fans. The 16-point margin of victory is the largest in the rivalry since 2016.

“We got in a rhythm early,”

Charleston coach Pat Kelsey said. “Saw the ball go in, made shots, and it really carried throughout the game.”

After losing a close game against visiting Towson on Jan. 18, Kelsey said his team prepared for another physical battle with the Tigers (17-12 overall, 10-6 Coastal Athletic Association).

But Charleston (22-7, 13-3) controlled the game from the opening tip, as the Cougars jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead.

Towson coach Pat Skerry didn’t like how his team started and even called a couple of timeouts to try regrouping.

“You’re always worried in these quick turnarounds. You hope you’ve got the message across on some personnel and some coverages,” Skerry said. “Obviously, we didn’t have a great night shooting the ball. But, even if we had a great night shooting the ball, we’re not going to win a game if [they] go 15-for-22 from three. It’s just not going to happen.”

Skerry’s team seemed to get back into it. Towson came back to take the lead, 11-10, after a 6-0 run by redshirt freshman guard Dylan Williamson. However, graduate student forward Frankie Policelliscoredsevenstraight points for Charleston. He led all scorers with 17 points on 60% shooting.

“He’s a terrific leader for us. We rely on him in a lot of areas,” Kelsey said. “He’s a winner. He’s an older guy. … With high stakes, you expect your upperclassmen and your veterans to step up and produce, and Frankie did that. Made shots for us early and ignited us.”

Williamson and the rest of Towson’s backcourt struggled to shoot the ball. Towson has found success this season by running staggered screens for 3-pointers, but Charleston fought through the contact to contest many shots. The result was a 4-for-18 performance from 3-point range for the Tigers.

“They switched all the ball screens, which we expected,” Skerry said. “I thought we struggled with that a little bit, just getting it to the next guy. I thought they did a good job on some staggers; we didn’t get as many of those as we’ve normally been getting.”

Charleston finished the game with more 3-point field goals (15) than made shots inside the arc (10). Junior forward Ante Brzovic entered with a team-leading 12.6 points per game, but he only scored two points while being guarded by graduate student forward Charles Thompson.

Still, Charleston found other ways to score. Nine players recorded at least three points, while Brzovic contributed more on the defensive end with two blocks.

“I think one of the hallmarks of our team is our depth,” Kelsey said. “We got a lot of guys in that double-figure range. It’s not the type of team where one guy has to carry us; we have a lot of different weapons.”

The loss moves Towson down in the CAA standings ahead of the final week of regular-season play. The Tigers travel south to face North Carolina A&T on Thursday and UNC-Wilmington on Saturday hoping to climb into the top four and secure a double-bye in the conference tournament.

“We have to win Thursday. If we win Thursday, then we see if we’re in a position to win Saturday,” Skerry said. “Would love to come in the top four.”