Towson (10-6 SU, 8-8 ATS, 2-1 CAA) travels up I-95 to Newark to face Delaware (9-7 SU, 7-8 ATS, 1-2 CAA) on Wednesday night at 7pmET.
Last season, Towson won the first two games and covered both, but the Blue Hens got revenge in the CAA Tournament semifinals, winning 69-56 as a 5.0-point dog.
Last Thursday night, Towson beat Drexel 64-58 at home, giving 6.5. Right before the game, the team announced that senior starting point forward Cam Holden had been suspended “due to a violation of team rules”. The Tigers were able to beat the Dragons to snap a five-game losing streak and they went up to Long Island and beat Stony Brook 67-55 as a 5.5-point favorite. Guard Nicolas Timberlake scored 20 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists to lead Towson to their second CAA win. Forward Sekou Sylla added 14 points and 11 rebounds on 7-of-14 shooting. The problem? Without Holden for a second-straight game, the Tigers produced just one point from their bench.
The Towson Tigers will be without Cam Holden for tonight's game against Drexel due to a violation of team rules.
— Towson Men's Basketball (@Towson_MBB) January 5, 2023
Holden was averaging 15 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists, but was shooting just 40.6% from the field, 25.6% from long range and 60.4% from the line. He was also struggling with turnovers averaging 3.9 per game. Towson still managed to rank third in assist/turnover ratio (1.10) in the CAA, but 10th out of 13 teams in turnover margin (-0.69). Meanwhile, Delaware ranks second in assist/turnover ratio and third in turnover margin (+1.19). With Holden out of the lineup over the last two games, Towson turned it over just 14 times combined with 29 turnovers.
Towson has struggled offensively this season, averaging 68.9 points per game on 44.3% shooting (34.6% 3pt). They rank second in rebounding margin (+4.50) and second in offensive rebounding percentage (34.7%). Defensively, they are solid, but are struggling against the three-point shot, allowing 35.5% (299th).