TOWSON, Md. – Junior John Fennessy, sophomore Max Siskind, and freshman Chris Vetter each scored their first career goal as Towson Lacrosse (8-7, 4-2 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)) claimed a 13-6 victory over Saint Joseph’s (5-11, 1-5 CAA) Saturday evening at Johnny Unitas® Stadium.

Sophomore Greg Cuccinello posted his first career hat trick with a career-high four goals, while juniors Thomas DeNapoli each scored a pair of goals for the Tigers. DeNapoli also dished out a career-high tying three assists in the win. Senior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage recorded 12 saves, including 10 in the second half.

Fennessy opened the scoring at 13:14 with a 65-yard shot that bounced into an empty net after SJU’s Austin Keen left the crease. Almost three minutes later, Cuccinello scored his first goal of the game off an assist from Hodgson. Siskind scored just under a minute later, beating the Hawks’ keeper from just outside the crease. Cuccinello took advantage of a man-up opportunity off a feed from DeNapoli at 5:35 – exactly four minutes after Siskind’s tally. Hodgson gave Towson a 5-0 lead when he shot while falling to the ground and found the back of the net.

Joe McErlean finally got the Hawks on the board 12 seconds into the second quarter. Senior Matt Hughesscored for Towson at 12:59 to push the lead back to five goals before Johnny Simanski posted a goal for St. Joe’s at 3:35. Hodgson gave the Tigers a 7-2 lead with 2:24 remaining in the first half.

The third quarter was quiet offensively. DeNapoli tallied his first goal of the game off a feed from Hodgson at 6:44. The third different Hawk to score for SJU was Williams when he beat Wascavage high left at 4:58. But Cuccinello’s third goal of the game – his first career hat trick – and Vetter’s tally at 1:30 extended the Tigers’ advantage to 10-3.

The Hawks scored back-to-back goals at the start of the fourth frame when Williams added his second and Will Abbott picked up a ground ball off a SJU face-off win, took it down and scored. However, sophomore Cory Dobyns tallied his first goal back after missing two games with an injury when he buried a pass from DeNapoli at 13:00.

Saint Joseph’s continued to hang around. Williams posted a hat trick with a goal at 10:42 to inch the Hawks to within five, 11-6.

Towson next faces Drexel in the CAA Tournament semifinals at Penn State on Wednesday, May 1 at 5:30 p.m.

NOTES: Fennessy, Siskind, and Vetter each scored their first career goals … Hughes scored a goal on Senior Night … Cuccinnello posted his first hat trick …

College Men’s Lacrosse: Saint Joseph 0, Towson 0
Saint Joseph’s (5-10, 1-4 CAA)               0-2-1-0/0
Towson (7-7, 3-2 CAA)                           5-2-3-0/0

GOALS: SJU – Simanski, McErlean; TOW – Hodgson 2, Cuccinello 2, Siskind, Hughes, Fennesy. ASSISTS:SJU – Dougherty; TOW – DeNapoli 2, Hodgson, McCarty. SAVES: SJU – Keen (X, 60:00, X GA); TOW – Wascavage (X, 60:00, X GA). SHOTS: SJU – 15; TOW – 29. GROUND BALLS: SJU – 7; TOW – 11. FACE-OFFS: SJU – 5-11; TOW – 6-11. CLEARS: SJU – 6-9; TOW – 4-4. EMO: SJU – 0-2; TOW 1-1. ATT: 1739.

Opening Face-Off
With the loss at No. 17 Drexel last weekend, Towson secured the three seed in the 2013 CAA Tournament held at Penn State. Saint Joe’s is coming off a midweek loss to Marist, 14-6. Today’s game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and can be heard live on the Towson Sports Network on www.towsontigers.com with Spiro Morekas and former Tiger midfielder Hunter Lochte calling the action.

Updating the Tigers
Towson’s six-goal tear in the third and fourth quarters couldn’t fully erase a nine-goal run Drexel put together on Saturday as the Tigers fell, 14-11, to the No. 17 Drexel Dragons. Junior Thomas DeNapoli scored six goals and added an assist to lead Towson. Seniors Andrew Wascavage and Jake Graves split time in net.

Scouting the Hawks
Saint Joesph’s is being out-scored by nearly 3.5 goals per game and are just 12-58 in extra-man opportunities. Opponents are winning the ground ball battle 438-361, causing more turnovers (104-88) and taking control at the “X,” winning 169-292 face-offs (.579). The Hawks come into today’s contest on a four-game losing streak. Pat Swanick (22g, 6a), Matthew Sarcona(14g, 5a) and Michael Dougherty (13g, 7a) are the three Hawks in double figures for goals.

Last Time Out vs. Saint Joseph‘s - April 28, 2012(SJU 6, Towson 3)
Nearly one year ago, Saint Joseph’s used a three-goal third quarter to pull away from Towson and claim a 6-3 win over the Tigers in Philadelphia. Rob Zoppo, Carl Iacona and Michael Brashears each scored a goal for Towson.Ryan McGee led all players with a hat trick and one assist for four points.

Towson-Saint Joseph’s Series History
This series is one of the newest in program history, which started in 2011 when the Hawks joined the CAA. The teams have split the series, each winning at home.

Towson-Saint Joseph’s By the Numbers

Game Dates: Jan. 5, 2013
Opponent: Saint Joseph’s Hawks
Site: Hill Field House, Baltimore, Md.
Game Time: 4 p.m.
MSU Coach: Todd Bozeman (114-92 – 7th yr)
Websites: MorganStateBears.com/SJUHawks.com

BALTIMORE, Md. —  Morgan State will take on the Saint Joseph’s Hawks in a non-conference matchup at Hill Field House in Baltimore, Maryland. MSU will enter the contest to bounce back from a 66-63 loss at San Diego in which junior guard Justin Black paced the Bears with 16 points. MSU will be attempting to snap a four game losing skid. Saint Joseph’s (7-4) recorded a 63-49 decision at Drexel on Dec. 31 in Philadelphia, Pa. C.J. Aiken led the Hawks with 19 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots.

BEAR BITS:
• After opening the season with a 71 point effort in a win against UTSA, the Bears have gone 3-7 while averaging 67 points and 44 percent shooting.

• Morgan State, who shot 67.6 percent from the line last season, continues to have hard times from the stripe … through the first 10 games the Bears are shooting 59 percent (143-242 FT).

• The Bears, who held VMI to 9 of 32 from 3-point range, have allowed an average of 74.1 points and opponents are shooting 33 percent from 3-point territory.

• Morgan State shot a season-high 52.8 percent at South Carolina and a season best 65.0 percent from the stripe, with 11 steals.

• DeWayne Jackson has scored 140 points in 10 games and ranks among the MEAC’s scoring leaders ranked No. 7 (14.0 ppg).

• One area where the Bears haven’t been inconsistent is under the basket. Morgan State ranks No. 3 in the league in total rebounding at 34.9 per game, No. 3 in offensive rebounds at 36.6 and No. 1 in field goal percentage at 45.6.

• Justin Black was just shy of posting a triple-double at Liberty. The junior guard finished with a career-high 12 rebounds to go along with nine points and nine assists … he enters the LMU Holiday Classic game looking to bounce back from a 2 point effort at Virginia.

• DeWayne Jackson is ranked among the top theft artists in school history. Jackson has collected 136 steals with the Bears steals with the Bears and currently ranks No. 5. The school record for career steals is held by Terrence Wright (1992-96) with 186 career steals … Jackson is 52 steals away from becoming the school’s new leader.

LAST TIME OUT VS. SAINT JOSEPH’S
Morgan State entered the game with more size than Saint Joseph’s, but it was the Hawks’ quickness that helped hand the Bears a loss on December 28 2011 at Hagan Arena. Saint Joseph’s (10-3) improved to 7-0 at home and head coach Phil Martelli became the school’s all-time coaching leader with 310 wins. The Hawks dominated MSU 81-50 behind Carl Jones’ game-high 16 points and Halil Kanacevic’s 12 assists to go along with eight rebounds, seven blocked shots. MSU connected on just 18 of 70 shots (25.7 percent) and shot 17 percent from 3-point territory, while SJU combined to shoot 33 of 64  (51.6 percent) from the field.  Ian Chiles and freshman guard Blake Bozeman led the Bears with 10 points apiece.

MORGAN STATE VS. ATLANTIC 10
Morgan State is 1-7 vs. the A10 Conference. The Bears fell 81-50 at Saint Joseph’s in the first ever meeting between the teams. MSU holds the following records against the A10: vs. LaSalle 1-3; vs. George Washington 0-1; and 0-1 vs. Xavier.

SCOUTING THE HAWKS
The Hawks welcome back 12 veterans — five starters — from a squad that posted a 20-14 overall record, finished 5th in the A10 with a 9-7 ledger. Senior guard Carl Jones leads Saint Joseph’s averaging 15.4 points and is shooting 36 percent from 3-point territory. Junior guard Langston Galloway (14.9 ppg) and junior forward C.J. Aiken are also averaging double-figures (12.5 ppg). Head coach Phil Martelli (Widener ’76) enters his 18th season as the Hawks head coach and he currently holds a 327-227 (.590) record.

MORGAN STATE TABBED THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL
Morgan State was picked to finish third in the 2012-13 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men’s basketball preseason poll behind Savannah State and Delaware State.

JACKSON AND CHILES EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Morgan State senior DeWayne Jackson was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Junior center Ian Chiles was selected to the Second Team.

UNFAMILIAR FOES
Morgan State will face six teams this season that the program has never met in its basketball history. The first time opponents are: UTSA, Old Dominion, Holy Cross, South Carolina, Illinois State and San Diego. The Bears do not see a familiar foe until the Nov. 29 matchup at Liberty (MSU leads, 1-0), their fifth game of the season. The other five opponents MSU previously has played are University of Virginia (trails, 0-1), Loyola Marymount (leads, 2-0), and Saint Joseph’s (trails, 0-1).

JACKSON SET TO LEAD
DeWayne Jackson is the lone returning senior who saw action for Morgan State last year. There are seven (7) juniors, four (4) sophomores and two (2) freshmen on the Bears roster.

RECOVERING THE SWAG
The Bears will look to rebound from last year’s dismal season in which the Bears recorded a 9-20 finish. It marked Todd Bozeman‘s worst season as a head coach, and it was Morgan State’s worst season since going 4-26 in 2005-06.

JACKSON AND CHILES EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Morgan State senior DeWayne Jackson was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Junior center Ian Chiles was selected to the Second Team.

JACKSON CLIMBING THE MSU RECORD BOOK
DeWayne Jackson (1,296, 430 rebs., 139 asts) needs 68 points to surpass former teammate Kevin Thompson (1,364 points – 2009-12) to become the school’s No. 11 all-time leading scorer. Jackson is one of three Bears on MSU’s all-time scoring list who have been coached by Todd Bozeman. Kevin Thompson (2009-12) ranks No. 9 (1,487 points) and Reggie Holmes (2007-10) is the school’s all-time scoring leader with 2,051 points.

HOME GROWN
Morgan State has eight players from the Metropolitan-D.C. area, including one from Baltimore. Senior DeWayne Jackson (Bowie High) and sophomore Blake Bozeman (Solebury Prep) are both from Bowie. Transfer guard Daryl Traynham is from Melwood (Wise High), walk-on Daon Riley is from Severn (Old Mill High), and Cedric Blossom is from Columbia (Montrose Christian). Anthony Hubbard is a product of Woodbridge (Va.), while junior Justin Black attended DeMatha High and Donte Pretlow was a standout at Dunbar High in Baltimore.

BOZEMAN WIN PERCENTAGE AT MSU
Todd Bozeman, now in his seventh season as head coach of the Bears, has an overall win percentage of .553 (114-92) after 204 games at Morgan State. That winning mean is the second highest among 15 head coaches in the history of the Morgan State men’s basketball program. Nathaniel Frazier’s winning percentage of .578 (166-121) is the highest percentage in Morgan State history.

ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS UNDER BOZEMAN
During his tenure in Baltimore, Todd Bozeman has coached seven (7) different players to All-Conference honors, including four Players of the Year selections: Ron Timus (2007 2nd Team), Boubacar Coly (2008 Defensive POTY, 1st Team), Jamar Smith (2008 Offensive POTY, 1st Team), Marquise Kately (2008 & 2009 2nd Team), Reggie Holmes (2007 All-Rookie, 2008 2nd Team, 2009 Offensive POTY, 2009 & 2010 1st Team), Kevin Thompson (2009 All-Rookie, 2010 Defensive POTY, 2010 1st Team, 2011 2nd Team), DeWayne Jackson (Rookie of the Year, 2011 1st Team).

THREE IN DOUBLE FIGURES
In the first nine games of the season, three Bears average more than 12 points a game. DeWayne Jackson leads with 14.0 points per game.Anthony Hubbard is averaging 13.7 points and 7.2 rebounds on the boards, while Justin Black is averaging 12.8 ppg.

JACKSON DOING A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING EARLY ON
Senior DeWayne Jackson is filling the stat sheet in the early season, averaging 14.0 points (ranked No. 7), 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists (ranked No. 12) and 2.4 steals (ranked No. 2) per game. Jackson has also registered eight blocks. He has recorded nine double-digit scoring games, including a season-high 32-point effort at Virginia (Dec. 19).

BLACK & DUNCAN ACTIVE OFF THE BENCH
Junior Justin Black and sophomore Shaquille Duncan are key contributors off the Bears bench. Both are high-energy players with the ability to ignite the team. Black played a big role in Morgan State’s win over Liberty by almost posting a triple-double. He finished the game with 12 rebounds, nine points and nine assists. He currently ranks third on the team in scoring (12.4) and is averaging 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 31.8 minutes per game.
Duncan has played in every game, averaging 22.8 minutes per game. He led the Bears to an overtime victory at VMI where he posted a career-high 17 points and 14 rebounds with three blocks. He’s averaging 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and ranks No. 4 in the MEAC by averaging 2.3 blocks per game.

UP NEXT
The Bears will open the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schedule when they host the South Carolina State Bulldogs at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12 at Hill Field House.