ODU rally comes up short

Jerrelle Benimon put Towson ahead 56-55 with a layup with 5:29 left en route to a 21-point, 17-rebound double-double as the Tigers held on to beat Old Dominion 68-66 Wednesday night.

The double-double was Benimon's 15th this year, tops in Division I. The junior entered third nationally with 11.5 rebounds per game.

Towson (11-12, 6-4 Colonial Athletic Association) let a 40-26 halftime lead vanish when Old Dominion opened the second half on a 17-2, 9 1/2-minute run. The Tigers quickly took back the lead and held it for about 5 minutes until Dimitri Batten's layup put the Monarchs up 53-52 with 6:54 left.

Benimon's go-ahead layup was the first of two straight, and gave the Tigers a definitive lead.

Towson's nine road victories are its most since winning nine in 1995-96.

DeShawn Painter had 20 points for Old Dominion (2-18, 0-8), which has dropped eight straight.