Towson sophomore wing Tyler Tejada missed a 67-63 win against James Madison on Nov. 16 with a sprained ankle, but redshirt sophomore point guard Dylan Williamson carried the scoring load and made big shots in crunch time, offering a peek at what he may have in store for the Tigers this year.
Williamson redshirted in 2022-23 for developmental purposes, then averaged 10.2 points per game on 40.3 percent shooting (33.8 percent from 3-point range) in 34 games in 2023-24. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound guard has scored in double figures three times in four contests so far this season, including a 22-point effort against James Madison.
Williamson was 8-for-12 from the field and 4-for-6 from deep. He made a 3-pointer to put Towson up six with 1:56 left, then another to put the Tigers up five with 17.3 seconds left.
Williamson was comfortable calling his own number throughout the game, and it paid off for Towson when it came time to close out the game.
“One hundred percent,” Williamson said when asked whether his confidence is rising. “After last season, me in my first year, really just [head coach Pat Skerry] and my teammates giving me the confidence all spring, all summer. It’s definitely rising, for sure.”
A native of Upper Marlboro and graduate of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Williamson celebrated his 21st birthday on the same day as Towson’s win against James Madison. Skerry made sure to mention that Williamson made two free throws with three seconds left to put the Tigers up four, essentially putting the game away.
“He just made plays. Today’s his 21st birthday, so it was a big night for him and made the big shot late and the foul shots, they’re not free. Those are two big ones. He was phenomenal tonight,” Skerry said.
Tejada entered the game as Towson’s leading scorer (14.7 points per game), but the Tigers were able to pick up the slack beyond Williamson. Redshirt senior guard Nendah Tarke, senior forward Tomiwa Sulaiman, graduate forward Messiah Jones and senior guard Rahdir Hicks scored nine points apiece.
Towson visits Nicholls State on Nov. 20 and Morgan State on Nov. 24. Though it’s unclear when Tejada will be back, Skerry was optimistic that the absence would be short term.
“Tejada had an ankle sprain in practice, so it’s day to day,” Skerry said. “Obviously we want to be smart with that because we don’t want him to come back and then it flares up again. Like we talked about [on Nov. 15], no one needs to step up. Everyone’s just got to do their job. We’ve got a good team. We’re still a work in progress, but it’s an ankle sprain. He’ll be back soon, thankfully.”
See Also: Q&A With Towson Men’s Basketball’s Dylan Williamson
Photo Credit: Kenny Storck