TOWSON, Md.—The UMBC women's basketball team (4-7) shot a season-best 54.3 percent but could not overcome a season-high 27 turnovers in a 69-61 loss at cross-town rival Towson (5-3) Wednesday evening at the Towson Center.
The Tigers jumped out to a 21-5 lead over the first 9:45 of play, as the Retrievers made just two field goals and turned the ball over nine times during that stretch and 16 times in the first half alone, accounting for 28 Towson points.
UMBC rallied with an 11-3 run to pull to within eight points at 24-16 with just under eight minutes left to play in the first half. Junior guard Chantay Frazier scored six points during the spurt and freshman forward Meghan Colabella contributed five. After Towson reopened a 14-point lead, the Retrievers cut it to six with another 10-2 run, but the Tigers scored the final 13 points of the period, sparked by 11 points by senior guard Jamell Beasley, to take a 45-26 halftime lead.
The Retrievers shot 55.6 percent (10-for-18) in the first half, including 66.7 percent (4-for-6) from 3-point range. Colabella led UMBC with a career-high nine points in the period.
Towson was even hotter from the floor, shooting 59.3 percent (16-for-27), and the Tigers' 45 points in the first half were a season high. Beasley was a perfect 6-for-6, including 3-for-3 from long distance, en route to a game-high 15 points, and Towson guard Holly Mahan posted 13.
UMBC's defense in the second half was among the stingiest it has been all season, limiting the Tigers to just five field goals and 22.7 percent shooting. Towson did not score for the first 9:30 of play, but the Retrievers managed just nine points during that stretch, as their turnover woes continued, committing seven during that span.
Still, UMBC was within five points, 57-52, with 3:22 to play after a 12-2 scoring spurt. But two 3-pointers by Mahan gave Towson a nine-point lead, 63-54, with just over two minutes left in the game.
After committing turnovers on their next two possessions, the Retrievers began fouling, and the Tigers made six of eight free throws down the stretch to seal the 69-61 victory.
Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy led UMBC with 18 points, with 15 coming in the second half, and she added a career-high eight rebounds and three steals. Frazier and junior guard Kristin Drabyn tallied 14 points apiece, with Drabyn draining four of eight 3-point attempts and Frazier making six of nine shots from the floor.
Mahan led the Tigers with a career-best 26 points to go along with eight rebounds and six steals.
The Retrievers' .543 shooting percentage (25-for-46) was their best since Jan. 29, 2006, at Stony Brook, when they shot 59.6 percent from the floor. UMBC made 15 of 28 attempts (53.6 percent) in the second half, and also went a season-best 46.7 percent (7-for-15) from 3-point range.
Towson shot 42.9 percent (21-for-49) from the floor, including 47.1 percent (8-for-17) from long distance.
The Retrievers have a nine-day break for the holidays before returning to action at the University of Maryland Terrapin Classic Dec. 28-30. The game time of UMBC's contest against Richmond on Friday, Dec. 28, in College Park, Md., has been changed to 1 p.m. The Retrievers will then take on the host Terps on Sunday, Dec. 30, at 2 p.m.
