BALTIMORE—Sophomore guard Michelle Kurowski (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) posted her fourth double-double of the season with a game-high 25 points and 12 rebounds, but the UMBC women's basketball team (4-5) dropped its third straight, falling at cross-town rival Loyola (4-5) by a score of 81-74 Sunday afternoon at the Greyhounds' Reitz Arena.
Loyola led, 17-11, before back-to-back 3-pointers by junior guard Chelsea Barker (Waterville, Maine/Messalonskee) and junior forward Meghan Colabella (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair) tied the game midway through the first half.
Sophomore guard Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn./Heritage) scored eight straight points for the Retrievers, sparking a 13-5 run that put UMBC on top, 30-25, with 4:45 to play in the first half. But the Greyhounds responded with six unanswered and finished the period on a 15-6 spurt to take a 40-36 advantage into halftime.
The teams alternated baskets for the first three minutes of the second stanza before Loyola made nine of 14 field goal attempts over a 10-minute stretch to open a 15-point lead, 73-58, with 6:11 to play.
The Retrievers held the Greyhounds without a point for more than three minutes, forcing six turnovers during that span as they cut their deficit to single digits, 73-64, but they could not carry the momentum any further and eventually fell, 81-74.
Kurowski added three assists and three steals to her double-double. She led four Retrievers in double figures, as Colabella netted 13, Brooks had 12 and Barker added 11.
Loyola guard Erica DiClemente led the Greyhounds with 19 points, while forward Kaitlin Grant had nine points and 12 rebounds.
UMBC shot 41 percent in the game, while Loyola shot 48 percent from the floor, including 54 percent in the second half. The Greyhounds also outrebounded the Retrievers, 40-32.
The Retrievers return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 22, when they take on No. 22 West Virginia in Morgantown, W.Va., at 7 p.m.