The signs were there for the Towson men’s basketball team.
Jakigh Dottin, a sophomore point guard who is known more as a slasher than a sniper, hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the first half, tying a season high set Nov. 14. Six-foot-9 redshirt senior forward Dennis Tunstall, who ranks eighth in program history in blocks with 105, made his first 3-pointer since Dec. 30.
That duo’s surprising accuracy from long distance contributed to the Tigers finishing with 10 3-pointers in a 77-66 victory over visiting UNC Wilmington on Thursday night, their seventh straight, before an announced 2,112 at SECU Arena.
The Tigers’ 10 3′s tied a season high set Nov. 24 in a 76-64 win against Saint Joseph’s. The touch from long range was there early as they hit on seven of nine attempts in the first half.
“It makes us explosive because when we’re hitting the three ball, that opens up other things like making a drive and kicking it out to a teammate,” said redshirt junior forward Juwan Gray, who went 2-for-4 from 3-point range en route to 10 points. “That’s where the difference was.”
Senior shooting guard Brian Fobbs led the offense with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists, and redshirt senior forward Nakye Sanders totaled 13 points and 11 rebounds for his third double double of the season. Sanders said the perimeter success makes life easier for him in the post.
“It opens up everything on the court,” he said. “Guys are moving, and it just feels like they start looking for me more. The more they hit their shots, they know I’m going to give it back out. So I just try to stay aggressive when they start hitting their 3′s. I’ve got to stay aggressive down low.”
The 3-point prowess helped Towson remain one of the hottest teams in the country, collecting its seventh consecutive win to improve to 13-9 overall and 7-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The team has not lost since Jan. 2 and kicked off its torrid streak with a 67-60 victory against the same Seahawks on Jan. 4.
The 11-point victory was the Tigers’ third consecutive by double digits against conference opponents, which marked a first in their history.
Meanwhile, UNCW’s two-game winning streak was ended. The Seahawks slid to 7-16 overall and 2-8 in the league despite 16 points and six rebounds from sophomore guard Jaylen Sims.
Towson also displayed a knack for finding shooters for buckets. The team’s 16 assists on 24 field goals were the third most this winter. Freshman point guard Jason Gibson, a Severna Park resident, set a career high with six, and Fobbs and Dottin had three assists each.
“We’ve had an unselfish group all year,” coach Pat Skerry said. “But you don’t get an assist unless you make a shot. So obviously when the ball goes in the basket, you get an assist. But I thought the ball movement was good. We found a lot of guys with that extra pass.”
Perhaps the biggest quibble to be found in Towson’s performance was a poor showing at the free-throw line. The team had 30 attempts (nine more than the Seahawks), but made only two more free throws than UNCW’s 17.
But Skerry did not seem worried.
“We’re shooting 81% on the year," he said. "I think we’re getting there. I have great confidence in our guys making foul shots. Guys aren’t trying to miss. They’re not free. So I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that.”
Sanders, redshirt freshman shooting guard Nicolas Timberlake and freshman forward Charles Thompson were the only players who did not sink or attempt a 3-pointer.
Asked if he considered trying one from deep, Sanders — who went 7-for-12 from the free-throw line – said, “Yeah, but not today. Not the way my shot was looking."
CHARLESTON@TOWSON
Saturday, 2 p.m.
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