Towson State University
Tiger Tracks
Published exclusively for Tiger Club members
by the News and Publications Services
Monday, March 21, 1977
TIGERS CLOSE OUT BEST SEASON EVER
It was a game that left a sour taste in the mouths of Towson State basketball players
and fans that will remain for many months. In the NCAA Division II quarter-finals at Yale
University, Sacred Heart nipped our men's basketball squad, 85-82, thus ending the most
productive season in Towson history. The Tigers finished at 27-3, by far the most wins a
Towson hoop team ever recorded. Included in that total was a record-setting 23 consecu¬
tive victory skein which began December 9 and lasted until February 26. Towson captured
the West Chester Holiday Classic in late December after a second place finish in the
season-opening Metro Classic. The Tigers also won their first Mason-Dixon Conference
regular season championship with a perfect 10-0 record. Towson then hosted the South
Atlantic Regionals and breezed past a highly-regarded Winston-Salem University squad by
19 points. Then, in the fifth meeting of the season between these local rivals, the
Tigers edged the University of Baltimore, 92-87, in overtime after trailing by as many as
12 points with six minutes remaining. This win set up the battle with Sacred Heart in
New Haven, Connecticut.
A partisan crowd of close to 3,000 crowded into Yale's Payne-Whi tney Gymnasium for
the game, and they got their money's worth. Towson bolted to a first half lead which at
one time balooned to nine points, but was cut to three in the final minute of the opening
half. Roger Dickens then hit for a three-point play as the period ended, giving the vis¬
itors a 44-38 edge at intermission. But the three f's plagued the Tigers in the second
half and hindered their every step: the fans, foul trouble, and free-throw shooting. The
highly vocal crowd has a definite effect on the momentum changing from Towson's side to
Sacred Heart. The referees seemed to notice the crowd's presence as well. Towson's top
two scorers, Dickens and Brian Matthews, both had unusual foul problems and both fouled
out late in the crucial stages of the contest. It was Dicken's first disqualification
of the entire 30-game schedule, and only Matthews' second. Sacred Heart went to the foul
line 24 times (they hit 15 for 62%) compared to Towson's 19 visits to the charity stripe.
However, the Tigers cashed in on only eight of those 19 for a paltry (42%), and it was
there that the game was lost. Towson even had two more field goals than Sacred Heart,
37-35. Guard Carl Winfree led all scorers for the Pioneers with 33 points, and Tony
Trimboli had 20 points, also from the backcourt. Highly touted Andre Means managed only
12 points against the tough Towson defense, but the Tigers were badly outmanned on the
offensive boards. Pat McKinley led Towson with 20 points, and Savia Sharp and Dickens
added 15 each. Our other starters, Bobby Washington and Matthews, had 11 each, with
Bobby's all coming in the first half before he was hit in the mouth twice and suffered
a fractured tooth late in the first stanza.
The Tigers should be strong next year and could win their second straight Mason-Dixon
crown. Dickens, Matthews, and Washington all return as does sophomore Sharp. Larry John¬
son, the purest shot on the team, also will come back as will guards Art Coleman, Rich
Deerr, and Michael Dukes, forwards Charles Lawler and Lloyd Tucker, and center Don Gettier.
Towson should also have a fine crop of newcomers as a result of the fine showing this sea¬
son. Congratulations to coach Vince Angotti and the entire squad for their excellent
season. In our minds the Tigers ARE number one! And thanks to Pat McKinley, Pat Britton,
Rod Norris, and Greg Jordan, this year's seniors. We could not have done it without them,
and we wish them all the best after their graduation.
--more--
