BALTIMORE – Graduate senior forward
Kiara Bell scored 18 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to help lead the UMBC women's basketball team to a 69-60 victory over the Bryant Bulldogs, in an America East Conference contest at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on Saturday afternoon.
UMBC (6-9, 3-1 AE) also received double-figures in scoring from graduate student guard
Ashia McCalla (16 points, 5 rebounds) and graduate student guard
Keelah Dixon (10 points).
Junior center Mariona Planes Fortuny scored a game-high 25 points and added nine rebounds to pace Bryant (5-11, 0-4 AE).
How It Happened
- UMBC led 10-6 after graduate student guard
KK White's layup with 5:36 left in the opening quarter, however, the Bulldogs went on a 10-4 spurt to claim a 16-14 edge at the 2:57 mark of the period. Senior guard Nicole Gallagher gave the visitors the lead after hitting a trey following a turnover.
- Trailing 19-16 with just over a minute left, the hosts scored the final five points to claim a 21-19 lead entering the second quarter. Dixon splashed a triple to even the score and then converted two free throws to account for the scoring.
- UMBC built some momentum in the second quarter as they scored nine of the first 11 points to grab a 30-21 advantage at the 8:10 mark. Bell ignited the run with a layup and graduate student guard
Nia Staples finished off a fast-break layup following a steal. Planes Fortuny stopped the bleeding with a layup for Bryant but Dixon hit a trifecta and Bell followed with a layup.
- Bryant closed within 30-24 after a trey by Alana Perkins at the 6:25 mark but UMBC responded with nine consecutive points to grab their largest lead of the game at 39-24 with 2:59 left in the stanza. Graduate student guard
Scoop Smith scored the first four points and McCalla scored the last four points following a free throw by sophomore guard
Antonia May.
-The Retrievers settled for a 39-31 halftime lead.
- Bryant made a run early in the third quarter as they managed to close within a single point on two occasions, the final one coming at 42-41 with 6:07 left in the quarter.
- The Retrievers, however, answered with seven straight points to hold the visitors off and grabbed a 49-41 advantage with 3:45 left in the period.
- UMBC took a 57-47 lead into the final quarter as sophomore forward
Paloma Iradier scored in the paint with 47 seconds left.
- The Bulldogs were able to get as close as 57-51 after sophomore Kemari Reynolds converted a layup at the 7:59 mark but UMBC delivered a knockout blow with eight straight points to widen the lead to 65-51 with just 3:37 left. Bell scored the first five points during the run and junior guard
Riley Donahue stuck a dagger 3-pointer to put the game out of reach.
Notes
- UMBC shot 51 percent (25-of-49) and held Bryant to a 37.9 percent clip.
- Bell (7-of-11 fga) paced the team with five assists (tied career-high) and also had a career-best five steals. It was her second double-double of the season.
- McCalla's 16 points (5-for-7 fga) were a season-high.
- UMBC is off to their best conference start since the 2011-12 season when they opened up with a 4-1 record.
Quote from Coach Hayes
"I think we did a good job of executing our game plan and our players are really starting to buy in to what we are trying to teach them. We continue to build our confidence and that's really exciting. I though KB {
Kiara Bell} was big today. Not only did she put up a double-double but she had to guard one of the top post-players in the league in Planes Fortuny. Ashia {McCalla} also gave us a great game and I thought her shot selection was much better. It's a good day to be a Retriever and we continue to grow."
Up Next
UMBC will travel to Maine next Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
