BALTIMORE – The UMBC men's basketball team opened their season with a decisive victory over the Penn State York Nittany Lions, winning 74-53 on Tuesday evening at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.
 
Junior guard Jah'Likai King led the Retrievers with a game-high 23 points and added eight rebounds. King shot 8-for-15 from the field and made 5-of-8 from three-point range. Graduate student guard DJ Armstrong Jr. contributed 12 points, hitting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Ace Valentine also made an impact, scoring 11 points and providing a game-high six assists.
 
The Retrievers initially trailed 8-7 with 15:35 left in the first half but quickly surged ahead, going on a 15-2 run to establish a 22-10 lead by the 7:20 mark. King and Armstrong hit consecutive three-pointers to cap the run.
 
Penn State York managed to cut the lead to single digits at 25-16 after a fast-break dunk with 4:14 remaining in the half. However, UMBC closed the half with the last four points, heading into halftime with a 39-25 advantage.
 
Valentine and King scored the first two baskets of the second half, extending the Retrievers' lead to 43-25, their largest of the game up to that point.
 
The Nittany Lions narrowed the gap to 47-33 at the 14-minute mark, but UMBC responded with a 13-7 run, pushing their lead to 20 points with just under nine minutes left. Fifth-year senior guard Cougar Downing ignited the stretch with a three-pointer from the top of the key.
 
The Retrievers' lead grew to as much as 25 points in the final minutes, securing a solid win as they began their season.
 
John Godinez paced the visitors with 19 points and Terrell Neal added 11 points and six boards.
 
UMBC travels to Dayton on Saturday afternoon.