Tigers not sulking, back on prowl tonight at JMU

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - The Towson men’s basketball team has little time to sulk over Saturday’s 64-60 loss to Hofstra.

Just two days after letting an eight-point, second half lead slip away, Towson must travel south tonight for a 7 p.m. tip-off against fellow Colonial Athletic Association member James Madison in Harrisonburg, Va.

Towson (10-11, 4-6 CAA) enters the game tied for seventh place in the 12-team CAA. James Madison (6-14, 3-7) is currently one game behind the Tigers in the standings following Saturday’s 59-41 loss to George Mason.

Towson senior guard Gary Neal said while he and the rest of the team are disappointed about losing to Hofstra, they know it’s important to keep looking ahead.

“We just have to [brush] this one off,” said Towson senior guard Gary Neal on the Hofstra loss. “You don’t want to have this game have a snowball effect and then you go down to JMU and lose that game, too.”

Towson coach Pat Kennedy shared Neal’s opinion as the short time between games gives the Tigers little time to regroup.

“We have to keep analyzing what went wrong and correct the mistakes,” Kennedy said. “We have to stay fresh, we have to get rest and we need to have an intensified practice that has more concentration mentally than anything else.”

Kennedy added that there is a lot Towson can take from a loss like Saturday’s and the Tigers’ 84-80, double-overtime loss to CAA-leading Virginia Commonwealth on Jan. 3.

“The good thing is the fact our guys know we can win these games; we should be winning a few more of these games,” Kennedy said.

Towson’s players and coaches also know that this week gives the Tigers a good chance to get right back in middle of the conference standings as they also host Northeastern (7-14) Wednesday.

“We can’t give up,” Kennedy said. “We’ve got to come back to really go against JMU and Northeastern. And all of the sudden, if you have two good games there you’re 12-11 and 6-6 and right back in the thick of it. These are two lower tier teams that we really need to get ready for and make sure nothing gets by us.”

Game notes

» James Madison has four players who average at least 10 points a game, including Juwann James (13.4) and Pierre Curtis (12.2).

» While JMU leads the overall series against Towson, 19-5, the Dukes lost the last meeting between the two schools in Harrisonburg, Va. The Tigers won that game, 99-84, which snapped their 28-game road losing streak against CAA opponents.

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