Box score

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – UMBC women's basketball had a shot to tie the game with 25 seconds remaining in the contest, but could not get the roll and went on to fall, 51-45, to UMES in Saturday afternoon's non-conference contest at the Hytche Athletic Center.

The Retrievers (3-8) were led by sophomore guard Bria White's (Silver Spring, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase/Longwood)15 points. Senior guard Raven Harris (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne/American), who entered the week ranked 11th in Division I in steals per game (3.8), matched a career-high with seven steals to go along with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Senior guard Karona Roach led UMES (4-6) to victory, bringing the Lady Hawks back from an eight point second half deficit, scoring 12 of UMES 28 points in the stanza. Roach finished the contest with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor.

The Lady Hawks would lead by as many as six down the stretch and held a two-point advantage with 2:06 to go in the contest. UMBC missed on four opportunities to tie the game in the final 1:30, including a short baseline jumper from senior guard Brittany Crowell (Brandywine, Md./Gwynn Park/James Madison) with 19 seconds to go in the contest. Roach grabbed the rebound and threw an outlet pass to senior guard Sha-Kiyla Finney, who was fouled by Crowell. Finney connected on both free throws, for two of her nine points, to help solidify the Lady Hawks second win in the last three games.

The Retrievers started off on the right foot, despite a 13-day hiatus for finals, turning over the Lady Hawks on the first possession and responding on the other end of the floor with a trey from White. UMBC would turn UMES over 26 times in the contest, leading to 22 Retriever points.  

Despite a 6:26 scoring drought for the black and gold, a steal and layup from Harris brought UMBC within two points, 14-12, with 9:13 to go in the first.

UMES shot 75 percent (6-for-8) from three-point range in the opening half, including three treys from Roach, but a steal and fast break layup from White tied the game at 18 with 3:37 remaining in the half. The Lady Hawks responded with their first two-point field goal of the opening stanza, followed by a three to take a five point advantage. Freshman guard Kayla Seymour (Raleigh, N.C./Panther Creek) drained a shot from beyond the arc to bring the Retrievers within two, 23-21, at the break.

UMBC looked poised coming out of the break, turning the Lady Hawks over and capitalizing on the offensive end. Junior center Dana Lewis (Brodhead, Wis./Brodhead) pulled down an offensive rebound, one of her career-high 10 boards, and drained the put back to tie the game at 23. The Retrievers followed with a steal and transition layup from Harris to give the Retrievers their first lead since 15:39 mark of the first half, 25-23. Another steal and layup from Harris with 16:52 to go capped off the 13-0 run, dating back to Seymour's three at the end of the first half, and gave UMBC its biggest lead of the contest, 31-23.

UMES mounted the comeback, behind its leading scorer Roach, who scored nine of the Lady Hawks first 15 points of the second half. The Retrievers were held to four points over the next 7:55, allowing a Roach layup to tie the game at 35 with 8:57 remaining.

A pair of threes from Roach and sophomore guard Shawnee Sweeney, followed by a free throw from freshman forward Ashleigh Claybrooks gave the Lady Hawks a six point lead down the stretch, a lead they would not relinquish.

The Retrievers take a break for the holidays and return to action on Friday, Dec. 28 at the Hawk Classic on the campus of St. Joseph's. UMBC will take on Wagner at Noon and face either the host Hawks or Fairfield on Saturday, Dec. 29.

Dawg Notes:
-Still looking to develop some consistency despite injuries, the Retrievers used their seventh different starting lineup of the season, with junior Dana Lewis and senior Kim Browning making their returns. Seniors Brittany Crowell and Raven Harris are the only two to have started all 11 games this season. Bria White made her eighth start of the year.
-UMBC still holds a 7-3 advantage in the all-time series
-The Retrievers drop their fifth straight game for the first time since 2009 (Feb. 25, 2009-Nov. 13, 2009).
-UMBC turned the Lady Hawks over a season-high 26 times.
-Sophomore Bria White logged a career-high full 40 minutes of action. She also set career-highs in field goal attempts (23) and three-point field goal attempts (11).
-Junior center Dana Lewis finished with career-highs in points (six) and rebounds (10).