FDU 69, Towson 68: Ray Floriani's Tempo-Free Analysis

Greg Herenda is in deep thought as assistant coaches Bruce Hamburger and Dwayne Lee study the game action. (Photo courtesy of Ray Floriani)

Teaneck, NJ -­ Call it a ‘five percenter.’ When teams ‘win’ the offensive efficiency battle, in 95 to about 97 percent cases, they win the game. Towson had the OE advantage, but fell short, 69­-68, to FDU in a thriller at Rothman Center. The victorious Knights trailed by seven with 4:20 remaining, but battled back and sealed it on a Marques Townes lay-in with three seconds to go.

Possessions: Towson 64, FDU 66
Offensive Efficiency: Towson 99, FDU 100

Four Factors:
eFG%: Towson 56, FDU 40
Free Throw Rate: Towson 39, FDU 36
Offensive Rebound%: Towson 42, FDU 42

Turnover Rate: Towson 25, FDU 14

What Towson did well: Shoot. The Tigers were aided by a 7-of-12 (58 percent) mark from three-point range. Sophomore guard Byron Hawkins was a perfect 3-of- 3 from downtown.

What FDU did well: Force turnovers and stay resilient. The Knights imposed a high turnover rate on Towson and turned those errors into a 22­-9 scoring advantage. FDU battled back, not just the last four minutes, but on several occasions when the Tigers threatened to pull away.

Leading Scorers and Effectiveness Factors:
Towson:­ Byron Hawkins 23 points, EF 20
FDU:­ Malik Miller 12, EF 18
EF leader: John Davis, Towson (23)

Towson had three in double-digit scoring, showing very good balance, with a leading scorer registering 12 points, FDU placed four players in double figures. Tyrone O’Garro of the Knights led all with 10 rebounds, including five on the offensive end. The game had seven ties and five lead changes, and its largest lead was eight by Towson with 7:40 remaining in the first half. Towson is 7­-4, while FDU improved to 4-­6.

Final Thought
“Marques (Townes) struggled for 35 minutes, but made plays the last five. I am so happy for him. This was just a great team win, a nice win for our (NEC) conference. Towson plays in the CAA and is a good team, this was a very good one to get. Overall, our non­conference schedule has been brutal, but I think it has us ready for our conference play. We have now won three of our last five and have Rutgers on the road Tuesday. Overall, I like how we're coming together at the right time with our league play starting in January.” - FDU coach Greg Herenda