Towson

Junior Hairston scored 13 of his 24 points in a runaway first half last night as Towson opened with a 15-0 run and never let up in a 73-62 victory over Drexel in the first round of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament at the Richmond Coliseum. The Tigers (11-21), seeded 11th, limited Drexel to four first-half field goals, the first coming with 13 minutes, 1 second remaining in the half, and had a 34-9 lead 3 1/2 minutes before halftime. It was 39-14 at the break, and the sixth-seeded Dragons (15-14)

Eric Schmieder scored 19 of his game-high 25 points in the second half to help Drexel pull away for a 76-50 victory over Towson in a Colonial Athletic Association game yesterday. Drexel (13-8 overall, 8-4 league) jumped ahead, 24-12, eight minutes into the first half. Towson slowed the Dragons and crept back into the game, cutting the margin to 36-29 at halftime. But Schmieder took command in the second half. He scored the first seven points of the half and eventually got 12 of the team's first 13 as Drexel took a 49-33 lead.

After stumbling badly in consecutive nonleague games at home against Bucknell and Rider, La Salle set out to end the trend Wednesday night against Towson. But in a contest at Tom Gola Arena that required overtime, La Salle lost again. This time, the final was 93-90. Towson, which had led for the entire second half before falling behind, 75-74, on a three-point jumper by La Salle guard Sam Mills with just under four minutes left, knotted the score at 86 on a three-pointer by forward Isaiah Philmore with 1.8 seconds remaining.

Fran Dunphy and Pat Kennedy arrived at the Liacouras Center last evening with 777 wins and 555 losses between them. Dunphy has never left town in his head-coaching career, just crossing the Schuylkill in 2006. Kennedy had been in New York (Iona) Florida (Florida State), Illinois (De Paul), Montana (Montana) and Maryland (Towson). Kennedy could have used Sam Cassell or Bobby Sura. He did have Durant, but it was Tony, not his brother Kevin, playing for Towson. He also had a dead ringer for Randy Moss in transfer Junior Hairston, who last played at the College of Charleston, a bad name on North Broad Street these days.

Norristown's Kris Blake directed the Towson football team to a 38-6 win Saturday over Howard. A sophomore quarterback, Blake had two touchdown passes. Blake has completed 67 of 147 pass attempts for 802 yards and nine touchdowns while rushing for one touchdown this season, his first as a starter. Last year he backed up Joe Lee, who threw for more than 4,000 yards. Dennis Cliggett, a Central Bucks West graduate, serves as a captain for the Tigers (4-3). A starter at defensive back, he has 15 total tackles, including eight solo stops, and has recovered a fumble.

West Chester East running back/defensive back Richie Boyd, the Ches-Mont League's co-player of the year, has committed to Towson (Md.) University, a Division I-AA non-scholarship football program. Boyd, a 5-foot-8, 175-pounder, helped East to its first outright Ches-Mont League championship in school history. He rushed 87 times out of the Vikings' wing-T offense for 804 yards and 12 touchdowns, giving him 9.2 yards per carry. A multitalented player, Boyd also lined up at receiver, hauling in passes from quarterback Matt Schaub, who has signed to play at Virginia.

Kenell Sanchez scored 17 points to lead Drexel over Towson, 66-60, last night in the Dragons' regular-season finale. Freshman Randy Oveneke of Belgium helped the Drexel attack with career highs in minutes played (20) and rebounds (six). Neither team shot particularly well from the field. The Dragons (17-10 overall, 12-6 Colonial Athletic Association) made 34.5 percent of their attempts and Towson (5-23, 2-16) shot 31 percent. Drexel had a 32-24 lead at the half and never trailed again.

Drexel won at Towson on Saturday for its 20th victory of the season. As their reward, the Dragons, the No. 5 seed, will get a rematch with hapless No. 12 Towson in the first round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament on Friday (2:30 p.m.) in Richmond, Va. If the Dragons (20-9, 11-7 CAA) win, they will get No. 4 VCU on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals at the Richmond Coliseum. Drexel did not dazzle against Towson, winning just 66-63. No matter, Towson (4-25, 0-18)

TOWSON, Md. - It is hard to find fault with a player who scores a career-high 25 points, makes all 15 of his free throws, and adds six assists with just one turnover. But that is exactly what Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint did after guard Frantz Massenat posted those numbers in a 65-57 win Saturday night over last-place Towson before 1,390 fans in a Colonial Athletic Association contest. "I was on him because he could have done that earlier" in the game, a smiling Flint said after Drexel won its 11th straight game and remained in a tie for first in the CAA. Towson fell to 1-24 and 1-12 in the CAA. Massenat racked up a lot of his points at the foul line after the game was decided in the closing minutes against a team Drexel beat by 33 points earlier this season.

In the middle of last month, Towson and new head football coach Rob Ambrose withdrew a scholarship offer to Tom Ryan, leaving the Father Judge wide receiver in scramble mode when it came to finding a college. But Ambrose reconsidered that decision, and last week, in a meeting with Ryan at school, again offered the scholarship to the 6-foot-3, 190-pound senior. After talking it over with his parents, Ryan decided to recommit to the Tigers. "I like the school a lot," said Ryan, an Inquirer first-team all-Southeastern Pennsylvania selection last season.

RICHMOND, Va. - Delaware, one of the biggest favorites in the first round of Colonial Athletic Association tournament, was tested to the limit Friday by a plucky Towson team. The No. 5 seed Blue Hens entered with an eight-game win streak but found themselves leading by just three points with under four minutes left before pulling out a 70-59 win against a team that finished 1-31 this season. "I like to give credit to Towson and [coach] Pat Skerry," Delaware coach Monte Ross said.

VILLANOVA, WHICH has just about everything back from the young team that struggled to a 2-9 record in 2011, once again will open its season against Temple in the fourth annual (and last scheduled) Mayor's Cup meeting at Lincoln Financial Field on Aug. 31. The Wildcats will play their home opener a week later against Fordham, and their first Colonial Athletic Association game on Sept. 15 against Rhode Island. Richmond (Oct. 6), Towson (Oct. 27) and James Madison (Nov. 10)

TOWSON, Md. - It is hard to find fault with a player who scores a career-high 25 points, makes all 15 of his free throws, and adds six assists with just one turnover. But that is exactly what Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint did after guard Frantz Massenat posted those numbers in a 65-57 win Saturday night over last-place Towson before 1,390 fans in a Colonial Athletic Association contest. "I was on him because he could have done that earlier" in the game, a smiling Flint said after Drexel won its 11th straight game and remained in a tie for first in the CAA. Towson fell to 1-24 and 1-12 in the CAA. Massenat racked up a lot of his points at the foul line after the game was decided in the closing minutes against a team Drexel beat by 33 points earlier this season.

Lauren Carra and Elena Delle Donne, the top scorer in NCAA Division I, each had 15 points as No. 16 Delaware stretched its winning streak to five with a 65-46 victory over host Towson in Colonial Athletic Association action Thursday. For Delle Donne, a 6-foot-5 junior who entered the game averaging 29.3 points, the 15 points were a season low. She struggled throughout, making only 4 of 11 shots as Towson (11-6, 2-4) constantly double-teamed her. But Delle Donne still nearly got a double-double.

With great ease and a bit of help from its opponent, Drexel avoided a letdown game and knocked off visiting Colonial Athletic Association opponent Towson, 60-27, at the Daskalakis Athletic Center on Wednesday night. Drexel limited the Tigers' shot selection while overcoming its own early shooting woes to turn the game into a rout. The Tigers shot 11 for 50 from the field, a bit better than the 14 percent they were at early in the second half. The 27 points allowed is the lowest by Drexel since it became a Division 1 program in 1973-1974.

HALL OF FAME coach Red Auerbach used to light a victory cigar whenever he was certain his Boston Celtics were too far ahead to be caught. If his body language during last night's 60-27 blowout loss to Drexel is any indication, first-year Towson coach Pat Skerry performed what might be viewed as the opposite of Auerbach's stogie celebrations. When it became apparent to him, early in the second half, that his Tigers would not stage a miraculous comeback against the Dragons, the previously animated Skerry sat down in his folding chair and seemingly accepted the inevitable.

TOWSON, Md. - It's been a very long time since La Salle played this well. Just how good were the Explorers last night? They won by 38 points - their widest margin since Feb. 22, 1990, the night Lionel Simmons eclipsed 3,000 points. And they didn't allow their overmatched opponent a shot - let alone a point - for nearly the first 3 minutes of the game. The Explorers' fourth straight win, 89-51, in front of 648 at Towson Center, was certainly an easy one. Now, La Salle (6-3)

TOWSON, Md. - It's been a very long time since La Salle played this well. Just how good were the Explorers on Wednesday night at Towson? They won by 38 points - their widest margin since Feb. 22, 1990. And they didn't allow their overmatched opponent a shot for nearly the first three minutes of the game. The Explorers' fourth consective win, an 89-51 victory at the Towson Center, was certainly an easy one. Now La Salle (6-3) gets to host Army on Saturday before taking nine days off for exams.