Baltimore, Md.--  Junior guard Laura Castaldo (West Nyack, N.Y. / Clarkstown South) picked up her 500th career point, totaling 16 on the night, but it was not enough as the visiting Hartford Hawks (11-4, 2-0) defeated UMBC (5-11, 0-3), 80-73, on Wednesday at the RAC.

In a game featuring seven ties and 17 lead-changes, the Retrievers got off to a hot start, Castaldo scored nine points and freshman Tyler Moore (Portsmouth, Va. / Norfolk Academy) scored 17 of her career high 20 points in the first half to give UMBC a 45-43 lead at the break. The 45 points were the most points scored in any half this season for the Retrievers.

The Hawks used 15-8 third quarter to pull ahead, and held off a furious late UMBC rally to earn the victory.  Castaldo's fastbreak layup with 4:59 remaining in the fourth quarter gave her the milestone, and cut the Hawks lead to 65-59. In the fourth, a Castaldo layup with 1:50 remaining cut what was as much as an eight-point Hartford lead to one, at 70-69, but Hartford would hit their free throws and keep UMBC from getting any closer.

Taylor McCarley (Bowie, Md. / Academy of Holy Cross) had a near triple-double, finishing with eight points, seven rebounds and a season-high nine assists. Freshman Te'yjah Oliver (Clinton, Md. / Riverdale Baptist) added 11 points, on three-of-six shooting from distance, while classmate Lucrezia Costa (Rome, Italy / Liceo Classico Enrico Perito) finished with 10 points, the fourth time in five games she has reached double-digits.

The Retrievers return the court on Saturday at the RAC when they host Vermont at 1 p.m. The game will be a "We Back Pat" game to help raise awareness and fight Alzheimer's.