The Towson Tigers (18-10) will finish out the regular season when they challenge the Elon Phoenix (15-13) at SECU Arena. The game gets underway at 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20.
The Tigers lost a close one to Hofstra 84-82 on Thursday. Mike Morsell had a good game for Towson, putting up 13 points, eight assists, and three rebounds. The Phoenix, meanwhile, are coming off an 81-76 win over Drexel on Thursday. Tanner Samson shot 5 for 8 and led in scoring with 19 points.
Over the last five games, Morsell has been playing at a high level for the Tigers. During that stretch, he has averaged 16.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 1.4 three-pointers.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Tigers winning the first matchup 81-77. Arnaud William Adala Moto had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 27 points, eight rebounds, one assist, three steals, and one three-pointer.
The Tigers have gone 18-10 Straight Up (SU) and 10-10 Against The Spread (ATS). Towson has gotten to the free throw line often this season. They average 18 made free throws per game, which is 10th-best in Division I. Expect to see a lot of second-chance opportunities for Towson in this matchup, which is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 14.0 offensive boards per game. The Towson defense has been struggling to keep points off the board during its most recent matchups. The Tigers have given up an average of 73.3 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 66.8 PPG. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Tigers, ranking 46th in the country in blocks per game with 4.8.
Across the court, the Phoenix have 15-13 SU and 11-10 ATS records. The Phoenix rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking ninth in the nation with 270 made (9.0 per game). The Phoenix average 77.0 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 68.4 points per game during that span.
Towson beat Elon in their most recent meeting this season, moving its SU record against the Phoenix to 3-1. Additionally, with a 3-1 record, Towson has the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Towson, ATS Winner – Towson
Notes
“Towson is 17-7 SU in its last 24 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 6 of Towson’s last 8 games “.
“Towson is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Towson’s last 6 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Elon’s last 7 games on the road”.
The Elon Phoenix average 77.7 points per game, ranking 67th in the nation. The Towson Tigers rank 53rd in points allowed with 66.8.
The Towson Tigers have a defensive rating of 99.8 (ranked 98th), while the Elon Phoenix have an offensive rating of 107.2 (ranked 141st).
The Elon Phoenix average a field goal percentage of 45.2% this season. The Towson Tigers have split their games this season (4-4) when opponents have a FG% of 45.2% or greater.
The Towson Tigers rank higher based on their field goal percentage (225th) than their effective field goal percentage (270th). The Elon Phoenix rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (53rd) than their field goal percentage (113th).
Elon ranks 56th in assists, recording 15.6 per game. Towson performs worse at 290th with 11.7 assists per game.
Towson, the 51st-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 39.3 rebounds per game. Elon does worse, ranked 124th with 37.2.
The Towson Tigers make an average of 6.3 steals per game. The Elon Phoenix are 11-8 when they allow 6 or more steals.
