(TOWSON, Md.) – The Wilson men's basketball team played its first Division I opponent in program history as it traveled to Towson for an exhibition on Tuesday evening. While the Tigers were able to control the pace of place throughout en route to a win, the Phoenix still has some highlights which included Jalen Pierce (Sr., Richmond, Va. / Collegiate / Millersville) scoring a game-high 21 points.

The Basics

Score: Wilson 101, Towson, 62

Venue: SECU Arena

Records: Wilson 0-2, 0-0 United East; Towson 3-0, 0-0 CAA

How It Happened

• Towson started the game by making its first five shots, but the Phoenix were able to counter early on by the play of Pierce. The United East Offensive Player of the Week kept his hot touch by making his first three shots, including an impressive reverse layup for Wilson's first points, and assisting 3-pointer by Winston Raford (Jr., Woodbridge, Va. / Forest Park) to get the Phoenix back into contention with a 15-10 Tigers lead.
• Towson's height and speed eventually took over as the hosts followed up with a 19-0 run. Quintin Renigar (Jr., Charlottesville, Va. / Regents / Valley Forge) ended the run with a 3-pointer. Shortly after, Pierce picked things back up with another triple followed by a steal which lead to a pair of free throws.
• While Towson remained strong throughout the game, the Phoenix did have some additional bright spots and improved after halftime. In addition to Pierce, Jalen Bowie (Sr., Frederick, Md. / Frederick / Shippensburg) got into the mix and took a feed from Pierce for a fast break layup with 13:35 to go in the half. Just over a minute later Bowie found an opening and was able to throw down a dunk. Wilson followed up shortly after with 3-pointers from Travis Blake Jr. (FY, Baltimore, Md. / North County) and Renigar, but the Tigers didn't allow the Blue and White to get much closer.

Inside The Numbers

• Pierce finished the night with a game-high 21 points on another blazing hot night from the floor where he was 7-for-10 overall and 3-of-4 behind the arc. He also led the team with six rebounds, dished out five assists, and made two steals.
• While the stats won't contribute to the season totals for the Phoenix because of the game being an exhibition, Pierce has opened the season by shooting 23-for-30 overall. He's 7-for-8 on 3-pointers, all of which have been in the past two games.
• The Phoenix hit 10 treys in the game with Rayford and Renigar added two each.
• Towson's shooting proved difficult to overcome as the hosts made 52.0% from the field.

Up Next
Wilson heads down I-81 to take on Shenandoah on Saturday. Tipoff with the Hornets is set for 6 p.m.