T owson State University
Tiger Track:
Published exclusively for Tiger Club members
by the News and Publications Services
March 7, 1977
TIGERS NIP BEES, EARN TRIP TO CONNECTICUT
Although it was the final meeting of the season between Towson State and the Univer¬
sity of Baltimore, the Tigers and the Bees both saved the best for last. In the closest
and most important duel of the campaign, the Tigers edged B.U., 92-87, in overtime to win
the South Atlantic Regional Championship at the Towson Center Saturday night. With a 28-2
record and the Division II number one ranking, the Tigers travel to Yale University in
New Haven, Connecticut for a game with Sacred Heart Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
Both the Tigers and the Bees breezed to easy first-night victories in the regional.
Baltimore outgunned highly-regarded Virginia Union, 116-96, as Ronald Smith had 36 points
and Cleveland Rudisill had 27. Towson then demolished Winston-Salem University, 102-83,
behind Brian Matthews' 23 points. The Tigers broke open a close 43-39 halftime edge with
a 10-2 spurt for a 53-41 advantage with 17 minutes remaining. They were never threatened.
Roger Dickens and Bobby Washington also had 20 points apiece for Towson, and Pat McKinley
had a game high 18 rebounds.
Saturday night the Tigers jumped out to an 8-2 lead only to have the Bees knot the
count at 10-10 with 14:13 left in the first half. Baltimore looked as if they would run
away and hide, taking a 42-32 halftime edge and increasing the margin to 61-45 with 12:23
remaining in the contest. Many of the Bees were prematurely patting themselves on the
back and making plans for a weekend in New England. But the Tigers were not through.
Dickens hit a foul-line jumper, Norris popped one from eight feet, and Matthews hit from
20 feet to close the gap to 72-66 with under five minutes to go. Still, the Bees held
a 78-72 lead with only 53 seconds showing on the scoreboard clock.
Matthews hit from 13 feet, Dickens hit a pair from the free throw line and again
from 18 feet, however, to knot the score at 78-78 to force the overtime. The teams were
locked at 30-80 and 82-82 before Matthews hit two free throws and Dickens did the same,
and the Tigers led 86-82 and never trailed again. B.U. came as close as 86-85 and 88-87,
but a lane violation against Norman Handy, a missed Kenny Sullivan free throw, and the
loss of Cleveland Rudisill, Toby Murray, and Gerald Watson due to fouls were only some
of the problems that ended the Bees' post-season dreams. Only a week earlier B.U. had
stopped Towson' s 23 game win skein with a 100-96 win in the Mason-Dixon Tournament Champ¬
ionship. For the Tigers and their fans, the regional win was sweet revenge over the Bees.
Dickens, the smooth junior transfer, paced the Towson attack with 35 points against
the Bees. He was especially sharp at the free throw line, hitting 11 of 12, many in
crucial one-and-one situations. Matthews added 28 points, hitting on 11 of 16 from the
field. Washington had 11, Norris 8, and McKinley 7. If the Tigers are victorious Sat¬
urday they move into the final four next weekend in Springfield, Massachusetts!
WOMEN CAPTURE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT, TOO
Not to be outdone by their male counterparts, Towson 's women's basketball team won
three straight to claim the Maryland Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
championship Saturday. Denise Houck paced Towson to a 70-57 defeat of Morgan State with
a game high 28 points. Friday the Tigers avenged an earlier 75-59 defeat with an 81-65
romp over Salisbury State. Houck again led all Tigers with 22 points, Jackie Kokinos had
14, Stephanie Roche added 13, and Jane Franck chipped in with 11. This set up the finals
with the tournament's host team, Bowie State, who eliminated top-seeded Loyola College
Thursday night to emerge as the favorite.
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