COLLEGE PARK, Md.—The UMBC women's basketball team (4-9) dropped its final non-conference game of the season, 98-56, at No. 5 Maryland (16-1) Sunday afternoon on the final day of the Terrapin Classic. Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy scored a game-high 24 points in the loss and was the Retrievers' lone representative on the all-tournament team after averaging 22.5 ppg in two contests.
The Terps set a school and Atlantic Coast Conference record with 17 trifectas in the game.
UMBC led 6-3 after a pair of 3-pointers by senior guard Morgan Hatten and Cassidy, but Maryland took control with an 18-0 run that gave it a 21-6 lead at the 15:33 mark.
The Retrievers pulled back to within nine points, 24-15, with 12:42 to play in the first half, but the Terps scored 20 straight points over the next six minutes to pull out to a 29-point lead at 44-15. Maryland held a 57-30 advantage at halftime.
The 57 points were both a season high for the Terps in a half, as well as the most the Retrievers have allowed in one period this season.
Cassidy led UMBC with 14 points in the opening period, as she made four of seven 3-point attempts in the first 20 minutes. The Retrievers had seven trifectas in the first half.
Maryland guard Kristi Toliver led all scorers with 17 points in the first half with five of Maryland's eight 3-pointers. Forward Laura Harper added 12 points.
The Terps out-rebounded the Retrievers, 26-8, in the period, with 15 offensive boards, which led to 17 second-chance points for the host team. UMBC also committed 12 turnovers in the opening half, accounting for 26 points for the Terps.
Maryland's momentum continued in the second half, and All-American center Crystal Langhorne scored eight straight points as the Terps took a 40-point lead, 82-42, halfway through the second period.
But the Retrievers continued to fight and posted an 8-3 scoring spurt sparked by four points by four points by freshman forward Meghan Colabella and a 3-pointer by freshman guard Michele Brokans.
Cassidy's 24 points in the game led all scorers and were one off her career high. Her nine field goals were a career best, and her five 3-pointers tied a personal best.
Junior guard Kristin Drabyn was the only other Retriever in double figures, as she posted 13 points.
Maryland forward Marissa Coleman led five Terps in double figures with 18 points. Toliver, who did not score in the second half, had 17, followed by Harper with 16, Langhorne with 14 and guard Marah Strickland with 12. Langhorne also added 10 rebounds for the double-double, and Toliver posted a game-high eight assists.
The Retrievers shot 43.5 percent from the floor and from long distance, as they made 10 of 23 3-point attempts. The Terps shot 56.9 percent from the floor and 60.7 percent (17-for-28) from beyond the arc.
UMBC grabbed just 11 rebounds in the game, the lowest output in school history.
Langhorne was named the Most Valuable Player of the Terrapin Classic. She was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Toliver and Coleman, as well as Cassidy and Richmond's Brittani Shells.
The Retrievers return to action on Saturday, Jan. 5, when they open America East Conference play at Maine.
