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Monday, 1-30-12
TOWSON ENDS LOSING STREAK
After 41 straight losses, TU
defeats UNC-Wilmington
SAM SMITH
Associate Sports Editor
After 21 games and 21 losses this season, the Tigers’ first-year Head
Coach Pat Skerry finally has a win under his belt: a 66-61 victory over
UNC-Wilmington (8-13, 4-7 CAA) Saturday afternoon at the Towson
Center.
"Mike Waddell is probably happier than I am. He is the sorry soul
that hired me. But I'm happy for these guys, they deserved it a while
ago," Skerry said. "They have been in position to do it and they haven't
let up.”
The program’s last win came on Dec. 29, 2010, against LaSalle. After
the team extended their Division-I record to 41 straight losses, Skerry
showed his players footage of the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle between
Muhammad Ali and George Foreman to show them what perseverance
is about.
"We showed them the Ali fight, the rope-a-dope, the other day,"
Skerry said. "They loved that. We are on the ropes, we are taking a
beating, but we didn’t get knocked down. It says a lot about these guys. "
The Tigers led by seven points with 54 seconds left in the contest,
but the Seahawks cut Towson’s (1-22, 1-10) lead to one point with 33
seconds left after a layup by junior forward Keith Rendleman. Towson
responded by breaking the UNC-W full court press that lead to a break¬
away slam from sophomore forward Erique Gumbs with 9.3 seconds
remaining.
Down 64-61, The Seahawks had the opportunity to tie the game. But
freshman point guard Adam Smith’s 3-point attempt with two seconds
left was met with a block from senior forward Rob Nwankwo that sealed
the Tigers first victory of the season.
"I knew he was going to try to be the heroic figure. I knew he was
going to take that shot,” Nwankwo said. "So [I was] just making sure I
had my hand up and just blocked him,"
Coming into the contest, the Tigers knew that Rendleman would be
their biggest concern. He averages a double-double per contest, with
15.2 points and 11.2 rebounds a game.
In the first half, Rendleman gave the Tigers more than they could
handle. He scored 14 points with five boards in the first half. In the
second half, Nwankwo effectively shut him down, holding him to just
three points and five rebounds. Even though Nwankwo was not in the
lineup to start the game, it was his effort in the second half that Skerry
said was the key to the victory.
"The difference in the game was, in the second half, Rob." Skerry
See UNC-W, page 23
Universities use branding
to reflect campus values
ALISSA KATZ
Senior Editor
Restore the Roar.
Towson University just came to mind, didn’t it?
In the progressively competitive higher education market,
branding has become a strategy for universities to build their
reputation.
"Branding isn’t just about your logo and it’s not just about
an ad that you might put out," Ellen Stokes, associate vice
president of University Marketing, said.
See TAGLINE, page 9
Christopher Curry/ The Towerlight
Sophomore forward Marcus Damas shoots over the outstretched arm of UNC- Wilmington’s Matt Wilson in the
Tigers first win of the season Saturday afternoon at the Towson Center. Damas led all scorers with 1 8 points on
5-12 shooting as the Tigers snapped their record 41 -game losing streak by defeating the Seahawks 66-61.
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