Baltimore, Md. – Te'yjah Oliver (Clinton, Md./Riverdale Baptist) dropped 17 points, but the UMBC women's basketball team couldn't overcome Howard as they dropped their first game of the season, 72-61, Saturday afternoon at the UMBC Event Center. Both teams move their records to 1-1.

The game started with both teams jostling for the lead, with neither side able to get more than a three-point lead through the first six minutes of the game. Janee'a Summers (Bound Brook, N.J.) lead the charge for UMBC, scoring nine of the team's 13 points during that stretch; however, Howard shot out from a timeout and ended the first quarter on a 13-4 run to secure a 25-15 lead going into the second quarter.

Howard would continue their run to start the second quarter, scoring the first six points of the quarter before Lyric Swann (Elkridge, Md./Long Reach) ended the run with a layup 2:45 into the quarter. Howard would ultimately increase their lead to 17, 35-18, before a 12-0 run by the Retrievers, capped off by a Swann jumper to bring the gap down to five . The teams would head into the locker rooms with the score 35-30 in favor of Howard.

The third quarter was a quarter of runs, as the Bison increased their lead to 14 halfway through the quarter by virtue of a 9-0 run. The Retrievers would return the favor, going on a 7-0 run that began on an O'lesheya Braxton (Paterson, N.J.) layup and ended on an Oliver and one, bringing the score to 48-41. Howard would then return their lead to 14, 55-41, by ending the quarter on a 7-0 run of their own.

Oliver would open up the scoring in the fourth after getting a steal and scoring off of it, followed by a Dominika Skrocka (Moscow, Russia) three-pointer to cut the deficit back to single digits, 55-46. Howard would not let the deficit stay at nine for long though, as they would go on a 7-3 run into a media timeout to put their lead back to 14, 63-49. The Retrievers fought back to bring the lead back down, but would eventually fall 72-61 to Howard. 

Oliver led the Retrievers with 17 points, including 13 coming in the second half. Summers aided with 14 points and seven rebounds.

UMBC returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 13 when they take on Coppin State at the UMBC Event Center as part of a doubleheader with the men's team. Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 5 p.m. on ESPN+.