It's another day, another loss, another record for Towson

NORFOLK

The team that began Towson's current run of futility extended it to record proportions Saturday night.

Old Dominion beat Towson 75-38 at the Constant Center - hanging a Division I-record 35th-straight loss on the Tigers. They haven't won since Dec. 29, 2010.

ODU knocked off Towson 51-47 last Jan. 3, a closer-than-expected result that caused former coach Pat Kennedy to remark that it was the best his team had ever played against the Monarchs.

Towson hasn't won since, dropping its final 19 games of 2010-11. Kennedy was fired after the season.

Enter new coach Pat Skerry, who inherited both the losing streak and a roster with just one returning letterman from a year ago.

The Tigers, now 0-16 under Skerry, were no match for an ODU team that has won 17 straight in the series, and was coming off a home loss to George Mason, putting it in no mood to ease off the gas.

ODU (8-8, 3-1 Colonial Athletic Association) shot 54.7 percent, forced 22 turnovers and had 16 steals, five by forward Richard Ross. Kent Bazemore led the Monarchs with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Dimitri Batten scored 11 points and hit 5 of 7 shots.

Making some early baskets enabled ODU to set up its defensive pressure, something it couldn't do Thursday against George Mason.

That pressure was more than enough to make Towson to come unglued.

The Tigers, who scored just 27 points Wednesday in a loss at Drexel, went more than 10 minutes without a field goal in the first half. ODU turned an 8-7 deficit into a 32-9 lead.

For ODU, Towson was the right opponent at the right time, an occasion for reaching deep into the bench early and often.

Forward Jason Pimentel, who had not played in the previous six games, got in with 13:17 left in the first half. Anton Larsen, who had not played in the previous five, also saw first-half action.

The win was easily the Monarchs most lopsided of the season.

"I think it's very healthy for our team to just have positive vibes of team," coach Blaine Taylor said. "Lots of teammates, doing lots of things.

"It was a very focused affair. It could have gotten sloppy. I don't believe it did."

Only for Towson, an inexperienced group heavy on freshmen (6) and walk-ons (3), and held together by the optimism and energy of Skerry, who stalked the sideline coaching every dribble in the early going.

With ground broken on a new arena, a pair of Big East transfers sitting out and a highly-regarded recruiting class on the way, there's tangible evidence that better days are coming for the Tigers.

For now, they are short on upperclassmen and ball handling, with no end to the streak on the horizon.

"It's no secret that we don't have good enough guards," Skerry said. "We've got backups that are playing starter minutes. That's the reality, that's tough for some guys to hear, but it is what it is.

"Unfortunately that's not going to change for the rest of this year."

Skerry said his players are "pressing and struggling," but that he's told them there's no place for that as he focuses on trying to improve them.

"This isn't a business or league or a level for sensitivity of hurt feelings, that's what I just hold them," he said. "If their feelings are hurt, if we're coaching them too hard, if we're expecting too much, that's too bad."

Skerry said he had not given much thought to Towson setting a dubious NCAA record.

"Honestly, the team we have now, we have enough challenges winning any game."

Ed Miller, 757-446-2372,ed.miller@pilotonline.com