Stony Brook, NY--Jessica Smith scored 23 points and added 14 rebounds as host Stony Brook (4-15, 3-7) held off UMBC 91-18, 1-9), 53-43, in America East action.
UMBC fell behind, 15-7, as leading scorer Anastasia Goncharova was saddled with three fouls in the early going. But Maria Brown and Sharri Rohde tallied 8 points each in the first half, and the Retrievers were behind only, 24-21, at intermission. UMBC hit 8 of 15 shots from the floor in the first half and 5 of 10 from behind the arc, but committed 15 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
The Retrievers kept it close and were within a bucket at 38-36 after a Goncharova three-pointer with 6:44 to play. But the hosts went on an 11-3 run to recapture a ten-point bulge at 49-39 with 1:22 remaining and hit four of six free throws down the stretch to win their second in a row.
Rohde and Brown finished the game with 14 points each and Brown added 8 rebounds. UMBC hit just 7 of 26 shots from the floor in the second half.
