BALTIMORE—Sophomore guard Michelle Kurowski (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) scored a game-high 21 points to lead the UMBC women's basketball team (12-14, 6-7 AE) to a 51-40 victory over America East rival Albany (9-17, 2-11 AE) Thursday evening at the RAC Arena. The Retrievers have won three of their last four games.
The Retrievers wore special pink uniforms as part of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Pink Zone initiative to promote breast cancer awareness, and proceeds from the game will benefit the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.
Kurowski's 21 points came on 8-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-3 from long distance, and she was named UMBC's America East Player of the Game.
The Retrievers shot 50 percent in the second half and held Albany to just five field goals and 16 points in the period. Trailing 24-22 at intermission, UMBC senior guard Carlee Cassidy (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) hit a layup just 13 seconds into the second stanza to spark a 12-2 run that gave the Retrievers a 35-26 lead at the 14:40 mark.
But the Great Danes responded with a 12-3 spurt of their own, fueled by a pair of 3-pointers by guards Charity Iromuanya and Cassandra Callaway, tying the game at 38-38 with 9:03 remaining.
A layup by sophomore center Topé Obajolu (Randallstown, Md./Archbishop Carroll) gave the Retrievers the lead for good on their next possession, as UMBC held Albany to just two points over the final nine minutes of the game and sealed the victory by making nine of 10 foul shots in the last 5:30 of action.
Albany started off hot from the floor, connecting on five of its first eight field goal attempts to open a 15-10 lead at the 11:28 mark of the first half.
Kurowski scored five straight points for the Retrievers to put them on top by two, 21-19, with 5:47 remaining in the period, but the Great Danes scored five of the final six points of the stanza to take the two-point halftime lead.
Obajolu was the only other Retriever in double figures with 11 points and added two blocks and two steals, while Cassidy grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and dished out four assists to go along with her six points. Junior guard Michele Brokans (Lansdale, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) tied her career high with five steals, the most by a Retriever this season.
Iromuanya led the Great Danes with 15 points to earn her team's Player of the Game honors, while forward Julie Forster posted a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Retrievers return to action on Sunday, Feb. 21, when they take on defending America East champion Vermont in Burlington.
Notes: UMBC has held its opponents to under 50 points in each of its last three victories… The 40 points scored by Albany tie a season low by a UMBC opponent, which was set by New Hampshire on Saturday in the Retrievers' 54-40 road win… The Retrievers have trailed at halftime in six of their 12 wins… Tonight was just UMBC's fourth win at the RAC Arena this season and only the second against an America East opponent after defeating Maine at home on Feb. 7.
