BALTIMORE – Sophomore guard
Ace Valentine scored 17 of his career-high 23 points in the opening half, and the host UMBC men's basketball team cruised to a 103-57 victory against the Cairn Highlanders on Tuesday evening at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.
UMBC, winners of four of their last five contests, improved to 7-5 on the season after shooting 52.8 percent overall (38-for-73) from the field. The Retrievers also went 11-of-29 (37.9 percent) from behind the arc and were 16-for-23 (69.6 percent) from the foul line. It's the seventh time the Dawgs have reached double-figures in treys this season.
UMBC held Cairn (6-4) to just 30 percent overall shooting (21-of-70) and only 10-of-38 (26.3 percent) from long-distance.
Valentine enjoyed the finest shooting performance of his young career as he was nearly perfect on the evening. He made 10 of 11 field goal attempts, including 2 for 2 from long range. The point guard also added five rebounds and three steals.
Senior guard
Devan Sapp (five rebounds) scored a season-high 15 points off the bench, including 13 in the second half. The guard hit 6-of-10 field goals and was 3-for-6 from downtown.
Guard
Marlon Short (five rebounds, three steals) was the third Retriever in double-figures with 14 points in 18 minutes off the bench. The senior canned all five attempts from the floor and went 4-for-6 from the charity stripe.
Graduate student
Josh Odunowo garnered a career-high 12 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. The forward just missed a double-double after finishing with eight points.
The Retrievers pulled away over the final 8:25 of the opening half, as the Highlanders missed their final 14 field goal attempts and committed six turnovers before intermission. UMBC held a 30-25 lead before a monster 20-2 run gave them a 50-27 advantage.
UMBC, which outscored the visitors by a 22-2 margin in fast break points, continued to build on its lead in the second half, and the Highlanders were never able to get any closer.
Sophomore walk-on
Isaac Varghese drilled a trifecta from the top of the key to give UMBC their 100th point with 2:49 left. It was the first field goal of the sophomore guard's career.
Isaiah Coleman paced Cairn with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Josiah Hardy contributed 14 points and five boards.
