BALTIMORE - UMBC defeated Binghamton, 64-58, on Saturday afternoon, knocking off its second unbeaten America East team in three days. The Retrievers have won three straight for the first time this season, improving to 8-9 overall and 3-2 in the league.
Jade Tillman scored 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, making her the first Retriever since Kiara Bell in 2023 to record back-to-back double-doubles. Tillman was 10-12 from the free-throw line and chipped in three steals on the defensive end. Her streak of double-digit scoring continued, bumping to 10 straight games.
Heidi Williams gave the Retrievers a career-high 17 points, six rebounds, and three steals off the bench, and
Alaina Williams added 10 points and eight rebounds for UMBC. For H. Williams, it was her third league game with 15 or more points, while A. Williams matched her season-high in rebounds while scoring in double figures in consecutive games for the first time this year.
Trailing by two after the opening quarter, UMBC used an 18-4 second-quarter run to swing the game in its favor. An H. Williams layup with 1:32 left in the first half gave the Retrievers their largest lead of the half at 32-20. Tillman and Williams combined for 11 points during the run, with a big three from Dagny Slomack mixed in.
Continuing to make life difficult for the opposing team's leading scorers, the Retrievers held Kendall Bennett scoreless on just two shot attempts in the opening half.
UMBC never let the lead slip under nine points during a back-and-forth third quarter, taking an 11-point advantage into the fourth thanks to a mid-range jumper from H. Williams that swished through the net just as the buzzer sounded.
Binghamton punched back in the fourth, pulling within one after a Bella Pucci jumper at the 1:54 mark. After a UMBC timeout, Tiara Bellamy rebounded a Carmen Yánez miss and got it off just before the shot clock sounded to put UMBC ahead 59-56. Binghamton wouldn't score again until just before the clock hit zero as UMBC hit five free throws to seal the six-point win.
UMBC's victory over Binghamton is its first in four tries and just the third in the last 10 meetings.
The Retrievers will look to win four America East contests in a row for the second time under Candice Hill on Thursday at NJIT. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m.
