Washington, D.C.— UMBC men's basketball fell 103-93 on Saturday night in D.C. The Retrievers got a big outing from sophomore Jairus Lyles (Silver Spring, Md.), who scored 27 in his first game for UMBC, who fall to 3-9 on the year.

Lyles was 10-20 from the field in 33 minutes of action, adding 10 boards for a double double. Junior wing Will Darley (Timonium, Md.) finished with 21 points, adding nine rebounds. Rookie Joe Sherburne (Whitefish Bay, Wisc.), Rodney Elliott (Baltimore, Md.) and Jourdan Grant (Bowie, Md.) all finished in double figures with 16, 13 and 12 respectively. 

James Daniel III poured in 28 for the Bison (7-5), who leads the nation in scoring, on 10-21 shooting.

The opening half saw Howard just ahead early thanks in part to a 9-0 run. The run would be ended by a Jairus Lyles layup to make it 11-5 Howard early on.

The Retrievers would cut into the Bison lead at several points in the opening half, but each time Howard found the answer, most times in the form of James Daniel III. Daniel ended the half with 17 points. 

UMBC shot 41% from the field in the first half, including 5-14 (35%) from three.

The second half opened with a flurry by the Retriever defense. UMBC forced a pair of Bison turnovers, leading to a Rodney Elliott bucket. Joe Sherburne then hit a trey to give the Retrievers their first lead at 47-46.

Both sides would take turns with the lead early on. Lyles would knock down a triple, followed by a steal and bucket to bring the Retrievers back to a three-point deficit at 77-74. 

However the Retrievers could not overcome the deficit, falling 103-93 on Saturday. The Retrievers finished with 58 points in the second half, shooting 48% from the field, finishing 45% for the game. The Bison finished the contest 34-40 from the free throw line for the game.

The Retrievers return to the hardwood on Wednesday, Dec. 23 at cross-town rival Towson.  The matchup with the Tigers is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. at SECU Arena.