WASHINGTON, D.C. – The UMBC women's basketball team dropped a 70-53 decision to American University on Wednesday night at Bender Arena. Although the Retrievers outscored the Eagles in two of the four quarters, the Dawgs could not overcome a strong showing in the first stanza from the host team.

Freshman Tyler Moore (Portsmouth, Va./Norfolk Academy) led all scorers with a career-high 17 points while collecting six rebounds and three steals, while classmate Te'yJah Oliver (Clinton, Md./Riverdale Baptist) chipped in 10 points. Junior Lakiah Sims (Riverdale, Ga./Charles Drew/Palm Beach State) grabbed a game-high seven boards while adding six points and three assists. For the Eagles, Emily Kinneston led the team with 16 points and three assists, while Lauren Crisler brought down six rebounds.

The first quarter started off in favor of UMBC, as the Retrievers took a 5-4 lead off a jumper from Sims and a layup and free throw from senior Pandora Wilson (Gaithersburg, Md./Academy of Holy Cross). However, American would use a 25-9 run to take a strong 30-14 lead at the end of the first period.  All nine of UMBC's points during that time came off of three-point baskets from Moore, who went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc in the opening quarter.

The Retrievers out-scored the Eagles, 16-14, in the second stanza, and used a 9-2 advantage in second chance points to hold American to a 44-30 lead at the half. Back-to-back baskets from senior Amanda Hagaman (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) helped to kick off the scoring for UMBC, along with two treys from Oliver and junior Laura Castaldo (West Nyack, N.Y./Clarkstown South). American kept things close as Kinneston and Michael Harris combined for eight of the Eagles' 14 points.

American used a slight 18-10 margin to extend its lead to 62-40 in the third period, behind a 10- and eight-point effort from Kinneston and Cecily Carl, respectively. For UMBC, Wilson chipped in six of her 11 points during the stanza, including back-to-back jumpers.

The final period of the game saw the Retrievers use a 13-8 scoring advantage over the Eagles, with seven of those points coming from Oliver's hands, but UMBC could not chip away at American's substantial lead.

Up Next: UMBC will travel to fifth-ranked Maryland for a Sunday matinee on Dec. 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.