Baltimore - UMBC never held the lead and shot just 37 percent from the floor, as the Retrievers fell at Morgan State, 67-60. Both teams are 1-1 on the season.
Senior guard Jay Greene (Whitehall, Pa.) managed a milestone in defeat, as he became UMBC's all-time assist leader. He needed three to surpass Dana Harris' career total of 507 and he dished out seven in all 40 minutes of work.
Senior forward Darryl Proctor (District Heights, Md.) led all scorers with 19 points, but hit only five of 17 shots from the floor. Greene, junior guard Matt Spadafora (Richboro, Pa.) and sophomore forward Rich Flemming (Chester, Pa.) each scored 11 points in defeat.
The Bears built a 20-11 lead midway through the first half, but the Retrievers would whittle the deficit to 34-31 at halftime. UMBC had ten more opportunities at the foul line than Morgan State, but missed seven of 13 attempts.
The Retrievers were within 40-36 just two and a half minutes into the second half, but managed just five points over nearly a ten-minute span and fell behind 53-41 with 7:53 to play. Morgan extended the margin to 16 points at 63-47 with 3:25 remaining, until a late UMBC surge cut the margin to seven points at the final horn.
UMBC hit just nine of 28 shots from the floor (32.1 percent) in the second half, while the Bears hit 12 of 24.
Greene also garnered a career-best eight rebounds to match Proctor for team-high honors. The game featured 44 fouls and took over two hours to complete.
UMBC travels to New York to compete in the Tyler Ugolyn Columbia Classic on Friday and Saturday. The Retrievers face Quinnipiac in the opener at 2:00 p.m. on Friday.
