VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

BALTIMORE - Powered by a strong fourth-quarter and three double-digit scorers, the UMBC women's basketball team (1-3, 1-1 America East) picked up its first win of the conference season over the UAlbany Great Danes (2-3, 1-1 America East) on Sunday, December 20.

The Retrievers were led by senior Janee'a Summers (Bound Brook, N.J.) who posted the 14th double-double of her career with 12 points (4-15 FG, 4-5 FT) and 10 rebounds; graduate student Juliet Esadah (Henrico, Va.) and freshman Alexia Nelson also chipped in 12 points on the day; the 12 points scored by Nelson marked a new career-high, going 4-5 from the field and 4-7 from the free throw line.

UMBC trailed UAlbany, 42-38, at the beginning of the fourth quarter; but, the Retrievers used a 10-point run early on to take the lead, 48-43, with 6:46 to play and never relinquished it. The Great Danes came close, cutting the score down to 48-45 at the 5:47 mark. UMBC again used a run, this time extending its lead to 57-45 with big baskets from Nelson and Summers coming off turnovers. UAlbany pulled back within nine, 57-48, with a three-pointer but UMBC was able to hold off a comeback and hit free throws down the stretch.

The Retrievers held the Great Danes to just 10 points in the final ten minutes, while scoring 23 of their own. UMBC held UAlbany to 21.4 percent shooting from the floor (3-14) and just one three-pointer on six attempts. 

Of Nelson's 12 points, six were scored in the fourth quarter, going 2-2 from the floor and 2-5 from the charity stripe.

The game started out much like Saturday's game as the Great Danes took a 5-0 lead early in the first quarter before Nelson and junior Mya Moye (Washington, D.C.) cut the lead to just 5-4 at the 6:25 mark. The teams went back and forth for most of the first quarter, with the score tied, 13-13, with 1:28 to play. The Great Danes outscored the Retrievers, 6-2 in the final minute to take a 19-15 lead heading into the second quarter. UMBC shot a game-high 54.5 percent (6-11) from the floor in the first ten minutes of the game.

UMBC held UAlbany to only nine points in the second quarter, with the Great Danes shooting just 27.3 percent from the floor. The Great Danes and Retrievers started off the quarter as the first has ended, trading baskets as the score was 23-23 at the 7:29 mark with Summers hitting a jumper off a turnover. From there, Nelson and Esadah scored six points combined to give UMBC a 29-23 lead before a media timeout. UAlbany put up a bucket at the 4:22 mark to cut the lead to four, 29-25, but would not score again until there were 47 seconds remaining on the clock; however UMBC had taken a 32-38 lead and would see Jada Clowers (Macon, Ga.) convert one of two free throws to go into halftime with a 33-28 lead.

The third quarter was opposite for the Retrievers, as the Great Danes held them to just five points and 18.2 percent shooting from the floor. UAlbany quickly began to chip away at UMBC's lead and retook the lead, 36-35, at the 7:26 mark. Freshman Patricia Anumgba (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch) cut the lead back to one, 38-37, with five minutes to play, but the Great Danes controlled the rest of the quarter and took the 42-38 advantage into the final quarter.

In addition to her 12 points, Nelson recorded two assists and a game-high three steals on the day; Summers also added two steals to go with her double-double. Moye, who scored a season-high 13 points on Saturday, had nine points off 3-8 FG and the lone Retriever three-pointer, while also adding two assists. 

The Retrievers shot 41.2 percent from the field compared to the Great Danes' 39.2 percent; UMBC also outshot UAlbany, 69.2 percent to 66.7 percent from the charity stripe. UMBC scored 22 of its points off turnovers and 25 off the bench. 

UMBC will return back to action on Sunday, December 27 and Monday, December 28 as they head to face the second of its third-straight New York opponents, taking on the Binghamton Bearcats in Vestal, N.Y. Tipoff for both games is set for 2 p.m.