—Sophomore center Topé Obajolu (Randallstown, Md./Archbishop Carroll) and sophomore guard Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn./Heritage) scored 16 points apiece and senior guard Carlee Cassidy (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) added 15 as the UMBC women's basketball team (10-13, 4-6 AE) defeated America East rival Maine (7-16, 3-8 AE) by a score of 57-45 Sunday afternoon at the RAC Arena. The game was originally scheduled to be played on Saturday but was rescheduled due to the blizzard that dumped more than two feet of snow on the Baltimore area.
The Retrievers won at home for the first time since a Dec. 2 win over Navy, snapping a six-game skid at the RAC.
Maine led, 14-12, with 9:17 remaining in the first half, but a 3-pointer by Cassidy sparked a 7-0 UMBC run that put the hosts on top for good. The Retrievers led, 21-17, at halftime.
Cassidy buried a 3-pointer just 18 seconds into the second stanza, setting the tone for UMBC, which shot a sizzling 57.9 percent over the final 20 minutes. A triple by sophomore forward Erin Brown (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) at the 15:31 mark gave the Retrievers a double-digit lead for the first time in the game, 31-21, and a 7-0 UMBC run midway through the period gave the Retrievers their largest lead of the game, 48-33. Maine never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
Brooks, Cassidy and Obajolu combined to shoot 60.7 percent from the floor (17-for-28) in the game. Brooks dished out four assists, while Obajolu – the Retrievers' America East Player of the Game – posted three blocks and Cassidy drained three triples. The trio combined for 47 of UMBC's 57 points, while Brown added seven points.
Maine guard Katelyn Vanderhoff led the Black Bears with 14 points, while forward Samantha Wheeler tallied nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Retrievers shot 50 percent from the floor in the game, their second-highest field goal percentage of the season. UMBC was also a perfect 11-for-11 at the foul line. Maine shot just 32.1 percent from the field, but held a 33-25 rebounding advantage, including 16-2 on the offensive glass.
The Retrievers return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 10, when they travel to America East rival Binghamton.
