Towson to play VCU

Towson sophomore guard Josh Thornton scored 22 points and junior forward Tony Durant added 20 as the ninth-seeded Tigers defeated eighth-seeded Hofstra in the opening game of the 2008 Aeropostale CAA Men’s Basketball Championship at the Richmond Coliseum: Towson 81, Hofstra 66. Thornton finished 9-of-14 from the floor and made three treys, while Durant scored 18 […]

March 7, 2008; 4:23 PM • by FTRea

Thornton finished 9-of-14 from the floor and made three treys, while Durant scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half. Senior guard Antoine Agudio finished with a game-high 27 points for Hofstra, with 25 coming in the second half.

Towson (13-17) jumped out to a commanding 31-13 halftime advantage after limiting Hofstra (12-18) to just one basket over a 12-minute span of the period. The Pride shot a dismal 13.8 percent (4-for-29) from the floor over the opening 20 minutes, while the Tigers shot 40.6% and made five three-pointers.

Towson was ahead by 19 with 16:29 remaining, but Hofstra went on an 11-0 run behind three treys from Agudio to close to within 41-33. The Pride got as close as three on a jumper by freshman guard Charles Jenkins with eight minutes left in the game, but Thornton drained a three-pointer that started a 15-2 run by the Tigers over the next five minutes that put the game away.

Towson senior guard C.C. Williams added 14 points, five assists and six steals, while Jenkins scored 14 points for Hofstra.

The Tigers shot 41.3% for the game, including 7-of-16 from 3-point range. Towson also made 14 steals defensively. Hofstra shot 62.1% in the second half and finished at 37.9% for the contest.

Towson will face top-seeded VCU in the first quarterfinal game at Noon on Saturday.

– The information above was provided by Rob Washburn of the CAA.