BALTIMORE — Tyler Edwards scored a career-high 18 points and Loyola Maryland mounted a second half comeback attempt, but Towson held on for a 57-53 victory over the Greyhounds on Friday at Reitz Arena.
Edwards led Loyola with 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range. She also grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Amandine Amorich added 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists off the bench, while Sydney Bass scored eight points, all in the second half.
Loyola (1-3) trailed 49-36 entering the fourth quarter but steadily chipped away at the deficit. The Greyhounds opened the final period with six straight points, cutting Towson's lead to 49-42 with 7:17 remaining.
Loyola continued to pressure the Tigers and eventually pulled within four at 55-51 with 2:05 left. Sydney Bass made a three-pointer with 1:16 remaining in the fourth to trim the deficit to 54-53. Aftter an initial stop, Towson got the ball back and got their lead back to three points.
Loyola turned it over on the ensuing possession, before Towson made two free throws to secure the 57-53 win.
The Greyhounds shot 34% from the field (18 of 53) but were more effective from beyond the arc, making 7 of 20 3-pointers. Loyola also went 10 of 11 from the free-throw line. Loyola also won the rebounding battle, 33-29.
Towson (2-2) took control early, scoring the first eight points of the game and building a 20-9 advantage after one quarter. Loyola responded in the second, outscoring the Tigers 15-13 to enter halftime down 33-24.
Edwards scored 11 points in the first half and helped Loyola close the gap to six points midway through the second quarter. The Greyhounds could not sustain the momentum, however, as Towson pushed its lead back to nine by halftime.
The Tigers extended their advantage in the third quarter, taking their largest lead at 45-29 with 5:37 remaining. Loyola answered with a 7-0 run, including a 3-pointer by Bass, but Towson still carried a 49-36 lead into the fourth.
Loyola held Towson to eight points in the final quarter and forced the Tigers into a difficult finish, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
Towson shot 43.4% from the field and but just 5-17 from three-point range.
Three players scored 10 points for Towson, as Masyn Marchbanks, Viki Matulevicius, Talia Shepard all had 10 points in the game. Eva Wilkerson led the team with 8 rebounds to go along with 8 points.
Loyola will continue with the 410 Invitational on Sunday, as they will play the loser of the UMBC vs Morgan State game on Sunday at 1:00PM at SECU Arena.
