BALTIMORE—The UMBC women's basketball team (8-17, 4-8 AEC) came all the way back from an 18-point deficit to take the lead early in the second half, but Albany (10-15, 8-4 AEC) prevailed in the end with a 62-54 decision Wednesday evening at the RAC Arena. Senior guard Kristin Drabyn sank the 152nd three-pointer of her career, breaking UMBC's all-time record.
The Great Danes jumped out to a 17-0 lead after eight minutes as the Retrievers missed their first seven shots and turned the ball over seven times to start the game. Drabyn finally got the Retrievers on the board with her historic 3-pointer at the 12:00 mark, but Albany would extend its lead to 21-3 with 10:39 left to play.
A jumper by senior guard Morgan Hatten sparked an 18-3 UMBC run that saw the Retrievers cut the deficit to just three points, 24-21. Albany's lead was 33-26 at halftime.
After missing their first seven shots of the half, the Retrievers were 9-for-16 from the floor over the final 12 minutes and finished the period shooting 39.1 percent. The Great Danes, however, shot 48.3 percent from the floor during the first 20 minutes.
UMBC opened the second half on a 9-0 run with a pair of three-pointers by freshmen Michele Brokans and Meghan Colabella, and the Retrievers took a 35-33 lead at the 16:59 mark on a three-point play by sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy.
But the Great Danes tied the game 25 second later, then took the lead for good on a lay-up by America East Player of the Game Kristin Higy at the 15:47 mark.
The Retrievers pulled back to within one, 42-41, with 10:57 to play, but Albany scored 10 of the game's next 12 points to reopen a nine-point advantage, 52-43, with 6:55 left.
UMBC was within five points, 57-52, with 1:18 remaining, but a pair of easy lay-ups by Albany forward Gia Sanders put the game away.
Colabella scored a career-high 16 points to go along with a team-best six rebounds and four assists en route to Player of the Game honors. Cassidy led the Retrievers with 17 points, while Drabyn added 10.
Higy scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the second half, and Sanders posted 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Albany shot 47.2 percent in the game, compared to UMBC's 37.3 percent from the floor. The Great Danes also held a 35-26 rebounding advantage and scored 20 second-chance points.
The Retrievers hit the road for the final time when they take on America East rival New Hampshire on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Lundholm Gym.
