BALTIMORE—Four Retrievers scored in double figures, but the UMBC women's basketball team (9-18, 5-9 AEC) fell to America East rival Vermont (21-7, 12-3 AEC) by a score of 71-62 Saturday evening at RAC Arena.
The score remained close for most of the first half, as there were five ties in the first 13:16 of play and neither team led by more than five points during that time. But with the score tied at 20-20 with 6:44 remaining in the first half, the Catamounts scored six straight points, capitalizing on offensive rebounds and UMBC turnovers. The Retrievers pulled back to within two points, 26-24, with 2:14 on the clock, but 3-pointers by Vermont guards May Kotsopoulos and Courtnay Pilypaitis gave the Catamounts a 32-26 halftime lead.
Kotsopoulos led all scorers with 13 points in the first period on 5-for-8 shooting, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range. Senior guard Kristin Drabyn led the Retrievers with eight points. UMBC held a 22-15 rebounding advantage in the first half but shot just 31 percent to Vermont's 43 percent.
The Catamounts came out hot in the second period, scoring on their first four possessions. The 10-0 run gave Vermont a 16-point lead, 26-42, after just two minutes of action.
Vermont maintained a double-digit lead for most of the second half, but after Pilypaitis completed a three-point play to give the Catamounts a game-high 18-point lead, 55-37, with 11:09 remaining, the Retrievers went on a 9-0 run to trim the deficit to nine points, 55-46, with 7:22 on the clock.
UMBC extended that spurt to 25-8 over a span of 9:30, cutting Vermont's lead to just four points on a layup by freshman forward Meghan Colabella with 1:36 left. But the Retrievers would not score again, missing their final three field goals, and Pilypaitis made four free throws in the final minute to seal the Catamounts' 71-62 victory.
Though the Retrievers held her in check in the first half, Pilypaitis was unstoppable in the second, as she scored 24 of Vermont's 39 points and finished with 29 in the game. She added 11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal in 40 minutes and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line. Kotsopoulos finished with 18 points, four assists, two blocks and two steals.
Drabyn and senior center Amanda Robinson led the Retrievers with 14 points each, while Colabella and sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy added 12 each. Junior guard Chantay Frazier pulled down a team-best seven rebounds, all in the first half.
UMBC shot 50 percent in the second half and 39.3 percent in the game. Vermont finished at a 41.9 percent clip. The Catamounts won the rebounding battle, 35-34.
The Retrievers return to action Wednesday, March 5, when they host America East rival Boston University at 7 p.m. at RAC Arena.
