Box Score Video Highlights
Baltimore, Md.—Freshman Te'yJah Oliver (Clinton, Md./Riverdale Baptist) had a career high 19 points to lead the Retrievers to a 73-63 New Year's Eve win against Coppin State on Saturday. The Retrievers got 50 points from the freshman class in the win.
Oliver led the way with 19 points on 6-11 shooting, including 4-8 from deep as UMBC improves to 5-8 on the year.
Coppin State fell to 0-12 with the loss, getting a game high 26 points from Genesis Lucas.
The Retrievers took hold of the lead late in the second quarter, getting back-to-back threes from Oliver and classmate Tyler Moore (Portsmouth, Va.) to close out the half, taking a 25-21 lead into the break.
UMBC forced six Eagle turnovers in the second stanza, causing 11 total for the half.
It was in the third quarter that the Retrievers took control of the game, going on an 11-0 run to open the stanza, led by Oliver with five points during the spurt. She finished with 11 of her 19 points in the third period.
From there the Retrievers kept the Eagles at bay, keeping their advantage around nine points the rest of the way. Coppin State would get as close as seven points in the fourth, but the Dawgs pushed the lead to 17 late to seal the victory.
Oliver had 19 points to lead UMBC, adding five assists and one steal. Moore poured in 17 adding five rebounds and three steals. Fellow freshman Lucrezia Costa (Rome, Italy) added 11, going 3-4 from the foul line.
The Retrievers as a team shot 52 percent from the field, including a 14-22 performance from the charity stripe. UMBC forced 16 Eagle turnovers, collecting seven steals. The Black and Gold also assisted on 21 of their 25 field goals.
UMBC starts conference play with a road contest at Binghamton on Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m.
