With Towson men’s basketball nursing a 62-58 lead with less than a minute to go at Morgan State on Nov. 24, Tigers redshirt senior guard Nendah Tarke rose for a 3-pointer that would have just about iced the game had it fallen.
Instead, Tarke’s shot was blocked by Bears junior forward Jaden Martin, springing a fast break that led to two successful free throws by junior guard Rob Lawson. Another empty possession for Towson meant Morgan had the ball with a chance to tie or win the game at the end of regulation.
Bears redshirt senior forward Will Thomas drove to the bucket and drew a foul as time winded down in regulation, but he missed the first free throw and had to miss the second on purpose. Tigers redshirt sophomore guard Dylan Williamson then hit two free throws to make the final score 64-60.
However, it was still a frustrating way for the game to end for Towson, which had kept Morgan at arm’s length for most of the day only to have to sweat out free throws at the end of regulation.
“I solely put that on me,” Tarke said following the game. “I had a turnover late. I took a bad three late. If the ball’s going to be in my hands in those situations, I’ve got to either get to the free throw line or get us a really good shot in that moment where there’s no guesswork, there’s no maybe it could go in. It’s either get to the free throw line, get a layup or get an open three, so that’s on me. We made a couple bad plays late, but I’m glad my teammates picked it up for me in the end. Dylan made some big free throws.”
Tigers head coach Pat Skerry would have preferred if Tarke had tried to beat the 6-foot-10 Martin off the dribble rather than hoisting up a three.
“I text him before every game, ‘Just be Derrick Henry,'” Skerry said. “What does that mean? Just move the chains, get downhill. You can’t stop him when he gets downhill. I’m not telling him not to shoot, but the one late he had a bigger guy on him. We’re in the bonus. They’re blowing the whistle on both ends on drives. I think that’s where I’m kicking myself that we didn’t get a drive to the rim.”
However, Tarke played a key role in Towson’s victory, which pushed the Tigers to 4-2 on the young season. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard scored 24 points on 7 of 15 shooting and made three of Towson’s four 3-pointers. The contributions of senior forward Tomiwa Sulaiman (10 points, 6 rebounds) and sophomore wing Mekhi Lowery (8 points, 11 rebounds) were also essential with starters Christian May and Dylan Williamson struggling from the field.
It’s hardly the first time Tarke has played well at Morgan. The former Coppin State standout had previously played at Hill Field House four times, combining for 40 points in his prior two trips to the East Baltimore gym. His final game at Morgan, though, served as a crunch-time lesson.
“I mean, we’re going to be in these situations many more times this season,” Tarke said. “We were able to withstand this one. I’m glad we came out on the right side. It is a learning process and a step toward us building for the future.”
The Western Slam is up next for Towson, which will face Kent State, Kennesaw State and UC Irvine in Lethbridge, Alberta, on consecutive days (Nov. 28-30). The Tigers have been without sophomore wing Tyler Tejada (14.7 points per game) for the past three contests due to a sprained ankle, but he may be nearing a return.
“Our hope is that we’re going to have him in some capacity up there,” said Skerry, who added that Tejada will be ready to face UMBC on Dec. 7 regardless of his status for the Western Slam.
BEARS TAKING “BABY STEPS”
Morgan State fell to 3-5 with the loss, but head coach Kevin Broadus says the Bears are taking “baby steps” in the right direction. He was pleased with his team’s defense against Towson, holding the Tigers to 35.6 percent shooting and turning standout guard Dylan Williamson (four points) into a non-factor.
However, Morgan allowed 16 offensive rebounds and 16 second-chance points — killers in a four-point game.
“Our guys are stepping up and playing good defense,” Broadus said. “It’s just the other things, the small things that we’ve got to correct. And I think our guys will correct it.”
A number of key contributors returned for the Bears this season, including Wynston Tabbs and Kam Hobbs, who combined for 32 points in the loss to Towson. However, the team needs to find more consistency from fellow returner Will Thomas considering that his heaters can help carry an offense. He has scored zero and seven points in his last two outings.
“It’s all on Will. He’s got to take it [upon] himself to get going, that’s all,” Broadus said.
Towson head coach Pat Skerry was impressed with Morgan, which faces UMBC next on Nov. 27.
“Morgan’s good enough to win their league. This place should really support that team,” Skerry said. “They’ve got good players — Tabbs and Hobbs and Will Thomas, those guys are really hard to play against. We just couldn’t shake them.”
Photo Credit: Kenny Storck