RICHMOND, Va. -- Towson seemed to have Hofstra beaten early in their Colonial Athletic Association tournament game yesterday.
But to secure the first-round win, the Tigers summoned a second knockout punch, which they delivered with swiftness and authority in an 81-66 victory at the Richmond Coliseum.
Towson's 18-point halftime lead withered to 51-48 with 8:06 left before a renewed defensive effort and clutch foul shooting - 16-for-18 over the final 4:37 - earned the Tigers another day.
Their reward is a quarterfinal showdown at noon today against defending CAA champion and No. 1 seed Virginia Commonwealth. VCU (23-6, 15-3) had a first-round bye.
The No. 9-seeded Tigers (13-17, 7-11) won for just the second time this season away from Towson Center - the other was Nov. 20 at Samford - and have their first back-to-back, double-digit victories. They beat Delaware, 89-74, last Saturday.
One of the most satisfying aspects of the win, coach Pat Kennedy said, was that when Hofstra had all the momentum, the Tigers took it back.
"It's hard to do it because you have to learn how to do it," Kennedy said.
"In learning how to win, you've got to learn how to make runs, and you can't panic. You've got to be disciplined to details and stay in your system, and your system will take care of itself. It's very rewarding because they're learning how to win."
Sophomore guard Josh Thornton scored 22 points, junior forward Tony Durant had 20, including an 8-for-8 effort at the foul line, and senior point guard C.C. Williams added 14, including 10 points at the foul line. Williams also had six steals and five assists.
Junior Hairston, who had missed the Delaware game with a back injury, gave Towson eight points and six rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.
Antoine Agudio, the CAA's leading scorer with 22.5 points per game, had 27 points for No. 8-seeded Hofstra (12-18, 8-10). Hofstra was hurt by 19 turnovers, six more than Towson.
TOWSON-Pease 3-8 0-0 9, Raboin 1-4 0-0 2, Durant 6-12 8-8 20, Williams 2-8 10-13 14, Thornton 9-14 1-2 22, Crossin 0-0 0-0 0, Coleman 2-4 0-0 4, Carr 0-3 0-0 0, Hairston 2-7 3-4 8, Nwankwo 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 26-63 22-27 81. HOFSTRA-Townes 4-5 0-3 8, D. Johnson 1-3 6-7 8, Agudio 9-20 4-5 27, G. Johnson 0-2 0-0 0, Jenkins 5-10 4-4 14, Lester 2-9 1-2 6, Sestokas 0-4 0-0 0, Urbutis 1-4 1-2 3, Washington 0-0 0-0 0, Davis-Sabb 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-58 16-23 66. Half-T 31-13. 3-point goals-T 7-16 (Pease 3-5, Thornton 3-6, Hairston 1-2, Durant 0-1, Williams 0-2), H 6-21 (Agudio 5-11, Lester 1-6, Sestokas 0-4). Fouled out-Jenkins. Rebounds-T 40 (Hairston 6), H 38 (D. Johnson 8). Assists-T 15 (Williams 5), H 8 (Agudio 3). Total fouls-T 18, H 24. A-N/A.