, Md.—Senior guard Carlee Cassidy (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) hit a layup with one second left to give the UMBC women's basketball team (2-2) a thrilling 74-72 victory over cross-town rival Towson (2-2) Tuesday evening at the Towson Center.
With the game tied at 61 with six minutes remaining, the Retrievers drained three straight 3-pointers, including two by sophomore forward Erin Brown (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) to take a game-high nine-point lead, 70-61, with 4:30 to play.
But the Tigers climbed back with seven straight points to pull to within two, 70-68, with 1:15 left. A pair of free throws by sophomore guard Michelle Kurowski (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) put the Retrievers on top by four with 24 seconds to go, by Towson guard Shanae Baker-Brice hit a layup eight seconds later to make it a two-point game.
The Retrievers turned the ball over on the inbounds pass, and after two missed Towson attempts, Tiger forward Kandace Davis hit a layup to tie the game with six seconds left. UMBC called a timeout to set up the final play, and Cassidy took the inbounds pass from sophomore guard Michele Brokans (Lansdale, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) and drove to the basket for the game-winner.
Baker-Brice's half-court shot at the buzzer hit the rim and bounced away, giving the Retrievers the 74-72 victory.
UMBC scored the first five points of the game before Towson used a 19-4 run to take a 19-9 lead at the 13:42 mark. Down 23-13, the Retrievers scored 11 straight to take a 24-23 lead with 3:11 to go in the first half, but the Tigers finished the period on a 9-3 run and led, 32-27, at halftime.
Four Retrievers scored in double figures for the third straight game, led by Brown and junior forward Meghan Colabella (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair), who had 16 points apiece. Cassidy finished with 15, while Kurowski posted her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Brokans added eight assists while committing just one turnover.
UMBC drained 11 three-pointers, including eight of 11 attempts in the second half, and Brown made a career high four of six from long range. The Retrievers shot 45 percent from the floor, including 58.6 percent in the second stanza.
Baker-Brice led the Tigers with 21 points and six assists. Towson made eight 3-pointers in the game, including five in the second half.
Cassidy moved into the top five on UMBC's career scoring list, as she now has 1,282 points.
The Retrievers conclude their three-game road trip on Sunday, Nov. 29, when they take on Bucknell at 2 p.m.
