By Eric Himmelheber
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
On a night when the Towson women’s basketball team unveiled its 2019 Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship banner, the Tigers had a disappointing result in its season opener, losing 73-67 to Penn State at SECU Arena.
Here are five takeaways from a turnover-filled affair.
Turnovers kill Towson
Towson had more turnovers (24) than field goals (22). Penn State scored 22 points off the Tigers’ turnovers. Down the stretch, two key Towson turnovers doomed the team’s comeback attempt. In a six-point loss, every possession counts.
Q. Murray shines in her first game as a senior
The point guard was a ray of light in a turnover-ridden offense. Despite her six turnovers, and getting hurt early in the fourth quarter, her 18 points was was tied for team high. She also led the Tigers with five assists and hit a couple of timely three-point shots down the stretch in the second half that helped close the gap.
Towson looked poised to win early
While the game didn’t end how Towson wanted, the Tigers looked to have the game under control for the first two quarters — leading at halftime 24-18 After taking a 6-5 lead just two minutes into the first quarter, Towson held the lead all the way into the third quarter until Penn State took a 32-31 lead with 4:49 left.
Penn State dominated the second half — the one that mattered
After taking the lead late in the third quarter, the Nittany Lions held on to win their first game of the season. They outscored Towson 25-13 in the third quarter and 55-43 in the second half.
Makenna Marisa is Penn State’s MVP
While she didn’t have a single assist, Marisa’s 15 points made all the difference. She was solid from the free throw line, going a perfect 8-8. Her perfect free throw shooting down the stretch iced it for the Nittany Lions.