BALTIMORE—UMBC freshman forward Meghan Colabella (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair) was a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor en route to a career-high 19 points, but visiting Boston University (17-11, 10-5 AEC) was lethal from three-point range, draining 16 triples, as the Retrievers (9-19, 5-10 AEC) fell to the Terriers, 79-60, Wednesday evening at RAC Arena.
Colabella's 6-for-6 effort was the best perfect night for a Retriever since Sharri Rohde went 7-for-7 from the floor at Hartford on Jan. 14, 2006. Colabella was a career-best 3-for-3 from three-point range and 4-for-4 from the foul line. She also added six rebounds, two assists and four steals in 31 minutes.
On the other end of the floor, BU guard Christine Kinneary was also 6-for-6 from the floor, including 4-for-4 from long distance and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe to match Colabella's game-best 19 points.
The game was back-and-forth early with six ties and seven lead changes over the first 11 minutes of action. Colabella buried her second three-pointer of the night at the 11:56 mark of the first half, giving the Retrievers an 18-14 lead, but the Terriers finished the half on a 34-8 run to take a commanding 48-26 halftime lead. Kinneary and guard Kristi Dini contributed nine points apiece during the spurt, with three triples each.
Boston made 10 three-pointers in the final 12 minutes of the period and finished the half 11-for-14 (78.6 percent) from long distance and 54.5 percent overall.
The Retrievers trimmed the deficit to 13 points, 50-37, with an 11-2 run over the first four minutes of the second half, but they could not get any closer. With another 13-point margin, 62-49, with 8:11 to play, the Terriers scored eight straight points to reopen a 21-point lead with six minutes remaining. Three BU triples down the stretch sealed the 79-60 victory.
Junior guard Chantay Frazier (Carthage, Miss./Choctaw Central/Seminole State) scored 18 points and added nine rebounds, while senior guard Kristin Drabyn (Avon, Ind./Avon) contributed 15 points. Senior guard Morgan Hatten (Potomac, Md./Winston Churchill) tied her season high with six assists.
Kinneary added seven assists, five rebounds and two steals while leading five Terriers in double figures. Guard Cheri Raffo scored 15 points, while Dini and guard Corinne Jean posted 12 apiece, each on four three-pointers. Forward Jesyka Burks-Wiley added 11 points and six rebounds.
The Terriers went 16-for-24 (66.7 percent) from three-point range, setting a school record for triples in a game.
The Retrievers shot 52 percent from the floor in the second half and 47.1 percent in the game, while the Terriers cooled off in the second period, shooting just 40 percent in the final 20 minutes and 47.6 percent in the game. BU barely edged UMBC in rebounding, 31-30. The Retrievers, however, committed 20 turnovers, which led to 19 Terrier points.
The Retrievers conclude the regular season on Saturday, March 8, when they host league-leading Hartford at 7 p.m. at RAC Arena. Before the game, UMBC will honor its three seniors – Drabyn, Hatten and center Amanda Robinson – in a pre-game Senior Night ceremony.
