Baltimore—UMBC guard Chris De La
Rosa (Washington Heights, N.Y./All Hallows/Siena) came within a
rebound of the second triple-double in school history, but the
Retrievers were undone by horrific free throw shooting and dropped
a 71-69 decision in overtime at Coppin State.
The Retrievers had two chances to win in the final seven
seconds, but three-point attempts by Laurence
Jolicoeur(Queens, N.Y./Holy Cross/Manhattan) and De La
Rosa were off-target.
De La Rosa had put the game into extra time at 67-all with a
trey from the right baseline with 2.4 seconds to play in
regulation. He scored 14 points, added 11 assists and hauled down
nine rebounds.
Guard Travis
King led the Retrievers with 20 points, hitting 8-of-9
shots from the floor and 4-of-5 from behind the arc.
UMBC missed 14 of 25 free throw attempts in the final 25 minutes
of play and were 14 of 29 for the game.
Coppin State scored just four seconds into overtime, but UMBC
then missed four consecutive free throws at the 3:09 and 2:27
marks. After another Eagle basket put them ahead, 71-67, with 1:57
to play, freshman guard Jamar
Wertz (Suffolk, Va./King's Fork) did hit a pair of free
throws to bring UMBC within two points with 62 seconds to play.
The Eagles would misfire on the next possession and Jolicoeur
got a solid look from 20 feet, but his shot hit the back rim.
Coppin State's Akeem Ellis grabbed the rebound, but missed two free
throws with 4.7 seconds left. De La Rosa hustled down the floor,
but his off-balance 23-footer at the buzzer hit the glass left of
the target.
UMBC hit a season-low 36.9 percent from the floor (24 of 65) and
committed a season-high 18 turnovers. The Retrievers did outrebound
the hosts, 52-42.
The Retrievers pounded Coppin on the glass in the first half,
amassing 27 rebounds to the Eagles 14. But they could not
capitalize because of poor shooting in the first 18 minutes of the
game. The Retrievers missed their first nine 3-point field goals
attempts before King buried UMBC's first to give the visitors a
20-17 lead with 3:05 to play in the half.
After Coppin's Michael Harper tied the score with a trey on the
next possession, King converted another 3-pointer against the Eagle
zone, starting a 9-1 run to end the half for UMBC. Adrian
Satchell ended the stanza with a lay-in off an offense
carom at the buzzer to give the visitors a 29-21 advantage.
But Coppin has exploded out of the blocks in the second half,
opening the stanza on a 19-5 run to take a 40-34 lead five minutes
into the half.
There were nine ties and seven lead changes in the second half.
UMBC took a 63-62 lead on a De La Rosa free throw with 53 seconds
remaining, but committed a foul on the next Eagle possession and
Coppin's Vince Goldsberry converted both free throws to put the
hosts ahead, 64-63 with 36 seconds to play. The Eagles' Brenden
Doughty added a free throw with 23 seconds left, and De La Rosa
drew a foul driving to the basket, but converted one of two free
throws.
After Goldsberry hit both free throws with 10 seconds remaining
to put the Eagles ahead to 67-64, De La Rosa drove down the right
wing, handed to King, who returned the ball to an open De La Rosa
in the corner and the junior guard buried the shot to second the
game to overtime.
UMBC travels to Pittsburgh to face Duquesne on Saturday.
