WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary men's basketball team had its five-game Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) win streak snapped at the hands of Towson, 99-73, on Saturday afternoon at Kaplan Arena. The Tribe (12-5, 5-1 CAA) started hot jumping out to a 14-point lead midway through the first half, but Towson (13-6, 3-3 CAA) shot 64.4 percent from the floor, including 13-of-22 (59.1 percent), to pull away in the second half.
 
W&M opened up a double-digit lead midway through the first half. The Green and Gold hit 10 of its first 14 shots, including six 3-pointers. Senior David Cohn, who finished with 20 points, extended the margin to 24-14 at the 11:47 mark on a drive and kick from sophomore Justin Pierce. The margin reached its pinnacle at 33-19 on another Cohn triple with 9:08 left in the opening half.
 
Towson found an answer hitting 11 of its final 13 shots in the first 20 minutes. The visitors used a 17-2 run, including 12-straight points at one point, to flip the score around and take a six-point margin into the locker room. The Tigers hit six of their seven first-half 3-pointers over the final 8:44. Mike Morsell, who led all scorers with 23 points, tallied all eight of his first-half points during the closing spurt, and Towson led 49-43 at the break.  
 
Towson made 10 shots in a row and outscored the Tribe 22-4 over a five-and-half-minute stretch in the middle of the second half to put the game away. Deshaun Morman (9) and Morsell (9) combined for 18 of the Tigers 22 during the stretch. Morsell's fastbreak dunk at the 7:52 mark gave TU its largest lead of the game at 87-59.
 
Individual Players Spotlight
Sophomore forward Nathan Knight led the Tribe with 22 points, including 10-of-13 at the free throw line, to go with seven rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. Senior David Cohn tallied 18 of his 20 points in the first half and was 6-of-9 from 3-point range, while sophomore Justin Pierce finished with 16 points and five rebounds.
 
Mike Morsell led six Tigers in doubles figures with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Zane Martin added 20 points, while Eddie Keith II and Brian Start had 15 and 13 points, respectively.
 
Inside the Numbers
- Towson connected on better than 60 percent from the field in both halves, finishing at 64.4 percent (38-of-59) overall. The Tigers shot 60.7 percent (17-of-28) in the first half and 67.7 percent (21-of-31) in the second.
 
- W&M shot 83.3 percent (20-of-24) from the free throw line. It marked the 11th game of 80 percent or better at the charity strip for the Green and Gold.
 
Notes
Sophomore Nathan Knight recorded his eighth game of 20 or more points this season … It marked the fourth time and second game in a row that Knight connected or 10 or more free throws as he was 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) against Towson … Senior David Cohn topped the 20-point mark for the sixth time this season, fourth time in six CAA games and third-straight game … Cohn's six 3-pointers were a career-high and the 14th most in program history …  Sophomore Justin Pierce's 16 points are career-high in a CAA game … The attendance of 3958 was a season-high at Kaplan Arena.
 
Up Next
The Tribe wraps up its three-game homestand against Northeastern on Thursday, Jan. 18. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m., from Kaplan Arena. The game will be broadcast online at Tribe Athletics TV via Stretch Internet. Tribe fans can catch the men's basketball action over the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley and Charlie Woollum on the call. The Tide 92.3 FM and 107.9 Bach FM are the flagship stations of the Tribe Radio Network and the audio is also available over the Web at TribeAthletics.com.
 
Fans will have a pair of chances to catch on Tribe Basketball with the Chesapeake Bank Tony Shaver Show on Monday night from Paul's Deli in Williamsburg and on Tuesday at Anna's Brick Oven for the Luncheon with Tony series. The second edition of the Chesapeake Bank Tony Shaver Show begins onsite at 6:30 p.m., with the live interview portion from 7-7:30 p.m., from Paul's Deli on Scotland Street. The show can heard over the flagship stations of the Tribe Radio Network at 92.3 FM The Tide and 107.9 Bach FM. It will be streamed online at TribeAthletics.com as well. The third 'Luncheon with Tony' will be on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at noon. The final date is Feb. 27. The luncheon will include a buffet for $13.50. Anna's Brick Oven is located at 2021 Richmond Road in Williamsburg.