Baltimore, Md.-- UMBC men's basketball finished the non-conference season at 7-8 after taking down Penn State York 89-57 on Monday afternoon. The Retrievers had five players reach double figures, led by Dimitrije Spasojevic (Vrsac, Serbia) with 16 points on 8-10 shooting. UMBC outscored the Nittany Lions 44-16 in the paint and 29-8 in bench points. 

The Retrievers cap the non-conference season at 7-8, snapping a two-game losing streak. The game does not count against Penn State York's record.

Spasojevic led the way with 16 points on 8-10 shooting. L.J. Owens (Annapolis, Md./Severn School/William & Mary) added 15 points with Daniel Akin (London, England) and Brandon Horvath (West River, Md./Southern) chipping in 13 and 12 respectively. K.J. Jackson (Missouri City, Texas) scored 11 points to keep his double-digit scoring streak alive, dishing out eight assists. 

Johnathon Gillespie led the way for the Nittany Lions with 18 points with Richard Grant and Michael Coleman adding 14 and 10 each.

UMBC shot a blistering 64 percent from the floor, shooting 70 percent in the first half. The Retrievers outscored the Nittany Lions both in the paint (44-16) and off the bench (29-8). 

After a 6-0 start for the Black and Gold, Penn State York answered with a 5-0 run of their own to give them their first and only lead of the game. That lead would be short-lived, as UMBC then ripped off an 11-0 spurt. Ricky Council II (Durham, N.C.) hit three triples on the run. 

That would later spark a 10-0 run that gave the Retrievers a double-digit lead, that they never lost. The Retrievers would lead by as many as 21 in the opening 20 minutes, taking a 46-26 lead into the break.

UMBC shot 70 percent from the floor in the opening half with Owens scoring 11 of his 15 points in the first half. Akin added eight points going 4-4 from the floor. 

The Retrievers continued the trend in the second half, leading by as many as 34 late. UMBC held Penn State York to 38 percent shooting, never letting the lead drop below 20 in an 89-57 win. 

UMBC will open America East play against UMass Lowell at the UMBC Event Center on Saturday, Jan. 4. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster.com.