BALTIMORE—Down by 19 points at halftime, the UMBC women's basketball team (13-15, 7-8 AE), led by its lone senior, Carlee Cassidy (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill), completed an improbable turnaround and defeated America East rival Boston University (14-13, 10-5 AE) by a score of 58-57 Wednesday evening at the RAC Arena.
Playing in the final home game of her storied career, Cassidy shone on Senior Night. The America East Player of the Game, she led all scorers with 25 points, including 16 during UMBC's second-half comeback, pulled down a team-high nine rebounds and added three assists. Three of her eight field goals came from long distance, giving her 245 in her career, tied for second-most in America East history. She was a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line, and her final free throw was the 1,600th point of her career.
The Terriers opened the second half with a pair of 3-pointers to take a 41-18 lead with 17:14 remaining. But a 3-pointer by junior forward Meghan Colabella (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair) 14 seconds later sparked a 19-0 UMBC run that pulled the hosts to within four points, 41-37, at the 13:08 mark. The Retrievers made seven straight shots, including five 3-pointers, during that stretch, with eight points by Colabella, five by Cassidy and a pair of triples by sophomore guard Michelle Kurowski (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville).
A layup by Terrier guard Chantell Alford appeared to curb the Retrievers' comeback, as the visitors scored five straight to regain a nine-point advantage, 46-37, with 11:14 remaining. But a layup by sophomore guard Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn./Heritage) sparked another 17-3 UMBC spurt, and Brooks' jumper at the 5:59 mark gave the Retrievers the lead, 52-51.
BU guard Caitlynn Moran hit a jumper with 2:10 remaining to briefly give the Terriers a 55-54 advantage, but Cassidy responded with a layup 25 seconds later that put the Retrievers on top for good.
Cassidy made a pair of free throws with 31 seconds on the clock for a three-point UMBC advantage, but a layup by BU forward Caroline Stewart again made it a one-point game with 24 seconds left. The Terriers immediately fouled junior guard Michele Brokans (Lansdale, Pa./Lansdale Catholic), who missed the front end of a one-and-one and BU forward Aly Hinton came down with the rebound. But Alford missed a would-be go-ahead jumper with 12 seconds remaining, and the UMBC defense smothered Hinton, who could not get a good look as time expired.
It was truly a tale of two halves for the Retrievers, who shot 55.6 percent (15-for-27) in the second stanza, including 50 percent (7-for-14) from behind the arc, and committed just three turnovers after making just five of 23 field goals (21.7 percent) and two of 11 three-point attempts (18.2 percent) in the first period with 12 miscues. UMBC outscored Boston U., 42-22, in the second half.
The Terriers' downfall was just as drastic, as they shot 48.3 percent (14-for-29) in the first half, including 54.5 percent (6-for-11) from long distance, but just 24.1 percent (7-for-29) from the field in the second stanza with just three 3-pointers. Boston U. led, 35-16, at halftime.
Colabella, who had averaged just 4.6 points over her last 18 games with just one 3-pointer in her last eight contests, scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc for her first double-digit performance since Dec. 20 at Loyola. She also tied her career high with four assists and added a pair of steals. Kurowski finished with 14 points and six rebounds and also drained three triples.
Stewart earned her team's Player of the Game honors after posting a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Alford led four Terriers in double figures with 14 points and was 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
The Retrievers conclude the regular season at America East rival Stony Brook on Saturday. The game has playoff implications, as both teams are vying for fourth place in the America East standings.
Note: UMBC's seven conference victories match their highest total of America East wins, set in 2005-06.
